Established on April 21, 2015, the China (Tianjin) Pilot Free-Trade Zone was the first such zone in Northern China. Over the past nine years, it has seen annual utilization of foreign investments exceeding $2 billion and annual import and export volume exceeding 200 billion yuan($27.6 billion).

Covering 119.9 square kilometers, only one percent of Tianjin's land area, it contributes 30 percent of the city's total foreign trade volume and 40 percent of its actual utilization of foreign investments.

The zone has focused on institutional innovation, becoming a platform for opening up and an engine for economic transformation and upgrading in Tianjin and Northern China.

Since its establishment, the zone has implemented 615 innovation measures, with 42 leading and landmark innovations replicated and promoted nationwide.

The zone also pioneers new business models. Financing leasing, for example, is a pillar business of the zone, with the establishment of a nationwide evaluation mechanism for financing leasing. Recently, 50 hydrogen-powered heavy trucks were put into use in Zhejiang province through leasing.

Data shows that the scale of financing leasing in the Tianjin Pilot Free-Trade Zone exceeds 2.1 trillion yuan, accounting for one-fourth of the national total.

The zone also includes commercial factoring businesses, with the total assets reaching nearly 300 billion yuan, accounting for 30percent of the national total.

The digital freight industry is rapidly gaining momentum, with the scale of online freight transportation accounting for 15 percent of the national total.

Parallel imported cars, another flagship business of the zone, accounted for over 70 percent of the national total cleared through Tianjin Port in 2023.

Thanks to the innovative policy system of the zone, the flow of people, goods, commerce, and capital converges here. The zone is vibrant, with its advantageous industries leading the way and new formats and models demonstrating vitality. Innovative entities are growing and expanding as well.