Zhuhai Gaolan Port Comprehensive Free Trade Zone, the city's only comprehensive FTZ, passed the pre-acceptance conducted by the joint group led by Gongbei Customs on Aug 30, laying a solid foundation for its future customs closure operations.

The group consisted of officials from the Development & Reform Commission of Guangdong Province, Finance, Natural Resources, and Commerce departments of Guangdong Province, as well as the State Taxation Administration and State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

Zhuhai Gaolan Port Comprehensive Free Trade Zone [Photo by Zhang Zhou / Zhuhai Daily]

Zhuhai Gaolan Port Comprehensive FTZ, approved by the State Council in February 2018, covers a planned area of 2.51 sq km (620.23 acres). It is only 2 km (1.24 miles) away from Gaolan Port and 16 km (10 miles) from Zhuhai (Jinwan) Airport. 

It is divided into comprehensive service as well as inspection and quarantine areas. Facilities like comprehensive service buildings, inspection channels, supervision warehouses, fumigation rooms, heat treatment warehouses, and medicine warehouses have been built.

The FTZ boasts nine outbound entrance and exit channels, as well as six inbound ones. All channels are equipped with information systems, such as video surveillance systems that automatically recognize electronic license plates and container numbers, while those dedicated solely to trucks have electronic loadometers installed.

The comprehensive free trade zone is a special customs supervision area in China with the highest opening-up level, the most preferential policies, and the simplest procedures. It is of vital importance to developing export trade, attracting foreign investment, and promoting industrial upgrading.

The official acceptance of Zhuhai Gaolan Port Comprehensive Free Trade Zone is scheduled to be completed in September. When it begins customs closure operations, the zone will give priority to the development of bonded logistics, processing, and maintenance industries, while also focusing on the growth of major industries like electronic information, maritime and air equipment, as well as cross-border e-commerce.