China's Northern Frontier Gains a Free Trade Zone
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China has added its 23rd pilot free trade zone, this time in Inner Mongolia, a vast autonomous region that shares borders with Mongolia and Russia. The State Council released the establishment plan on April 9.
The zone covers 119.74 square kilometres, divided among three subzones: Hohhot (the regional capital), Manzhouli (a northern border city), and Erenhot (a land port on the Mongolian frontier). Each will pursue distinct functions and industries suited to its local conditions.
A set of 19 reform measures accompanies the launch. They include innovative border trade arrangements, stronger international logistics services, smoother technology transfer, and broader external exchanges across various fields.
Inner Mongolia now becomes China's northernmost FTZ, intended to function as a hub for information, transport, logistics, resource allocation, and industrial cooperation — bridging domestic markets with neighbouring economies.
The first Chinese FTZ opened in Shanghai in 2013. Since then, 22 others have been established in coastal and inland regions including Guangdong, Liaoning, Hainan, Shandong and Beijing. The most recent prior addition was Xinjiang in 2023.
The new zone aligns with the country's latest five-year blueprint (2026-2030), which calls for expanded opening along east-west corridors and land-sea routes. No specific foreign investment incentives or implementation deadlines were disclosed in the announcement.
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