Tianjin Free Trade Zone attracts 15,000 enterprises in two years

China (Tianjin) Pilot Free Trade Zone continued to attract foreign and local enterprises, thanks to good business environment that FTZ has been providing since its establishment in April 2015.

“Many enterprises have considered the good business and working environment when they put up business here,” TPFTZ administrative permission service center director Xu Fei said in recent media interview.

Xu told the Chinese and Asia journalists that their office has approved over 15,000 companies, 15 percent of them are foreign enterprises, to settle at the 119.9-square-kilometer FTZ.

More than 200 companies have moved from Beijing to TPFTZ as part of the central government’s efforts to decongest China’s capital.

Unlike in other FTZs in China, Xu said the TPFTZ can issue the business permit in just one day while all the pertinent documents are finished in just two days.

“Even if you are a foreign company, you need only two days to register your company. You can get all the licenses within two days,” she said.

TPFTZ was established as a high-level open platform for the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tiajin-Hebei region.

It also serves as meeting point for the land and  maritime Silk Road of the Belt and Road Initiative between northern part of China and neighbor countries along the route.

The largest FTZ in northern China consists three areas: the 30-sq/km Tianjin Port Dongjiang, 43-sq/km Tianjin International Airport and 46.8-sq/km Binhai Central Business District (CBD).

The Tianjin Port Dongjiang area has three zones for dock operation, logistic processing and port integrated service zone; international cruise home port; and 25 km artificial beach.

Located on the estuary of Heihe River and Bohai Sea economic circle, Tianjin Port is the largest port in northern China and it is the eastern end of the Eurasian Continental Bridge.

On the other hand, the Tianjin airport area gives priorities to high-end manufacturing industries, including aviation and aerospace, while the CBD area is for modern service industries focusing on financial innovation.

“Our advantages in TPFTZ is our efficient transportation system and the good services we offered to our companies here,” Xu said.

TPFTZ is situated within the 2,270-sq/km Binhai New Area District, one of the 15 districts of Tianjin City and a new pole of economic growth in China following Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and Shanghai Pudong New Area.

(Jelly Musico is a reporter of Philippine News Agency and current Intern of People’s Daily Online)