A: Since the establishment of the first batch of 14 national-level economic and technological development zones (hereinafter referred to as “national economic development zones” or “zones”) in 1984, these zones have persisted in expanding opening up and deepening reform and innovation, and have gradually become the primary front for stabilizing foreign trade and foreign investment, clusters for developing new quality productive forces, and powerful engines for coordinated regional development. This is reflected in the following four aspects:

First, their status as the “top tier” in foreign trade and foreign investment has become more solid. According to the 2025 evaluation results, in 2024, national economic development zones achieved a total import and export volume of RMB 10.6 trillion and utilized foreign investment of USD 26.84 billion, each accounting for nearly one quarter of the national total. They were home to over 110,000 foreign trade enterprises and more than 70,000 foreign-invested enterprises. The quality of foreign investment utilization in these zones has continued to improve, and national economic development zones in cities such as Suzhou, Guangzhou, and Hefei have become hubs for regional headquarters and functional institutions of multinational corporations.

Second, their leading and demonstrative role in scientific and technological innovation has become increasingly prominent. In recent years, national economic development zones have gradually formed industrial highlands with notable cluster effects, clear professional division of labor, and well-established support systems. By the end of 2024, national economic development zones were home to 708 national-level incubators and makerspaces, 19,000 R&D institutions at the provincial level or above, and 80,000 high-tech enterprises, providing inexhaustible momentum for enhancing innovation efficiency. For example, 27 national economic development zones in Jiangsu Province boasted 585 smart factories at or above the advanced level, accounting for one-third of the province’s total.

Third, their role as strategic pillars serving coordinated regional development has continued to strengthen. In recent years, project matchmaking and cooperative development have been actively carried out among national economic development zones, based on their respective resource endowments, factors of production, and industrial advantages. Such practices have facilitated the implementation of a number of core supporting projects in development zones in central and western regions. In 2024, the number of cooperative development projects between national economic development zones in eastern and central/western regions, as well as paired assistance programs carried out by national economic development zones to support the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Xizang Autonomous Region and border (cross-border) cooperation zones, increased by 99 compared with the previous year.

Fourth, the vitality of institutional reform and innovation has continued to be unleashed. National economic development zones have continuously deepened institutional and mechanism innovation based on practical experience. Currently, over 90% of national economic development zones adopt the administration model of “management committee + company,” with the rest adopting either the model of integrated administrative and zone governance or a corporate system. Meanwhile, national economic development zones have pursued coordinated development with pilot free trade zones and special customs supervision areas, leveraging the overlapping advantages of these opening-up platforms to generate a wide range of institutional innovation outcomes. For example, Tianjin has tailored integrated innovation implementation plans for five state-level development zones in coordination with the China (Tianjin) Pilot Free Trade Zone, implementing 58 innovative measures.

Going forward, MOFCOM will thoroughly implement the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, optimize the evaluation indicators system for national economic development zones, improve the dynamic management system, and continue to unleash innovation vitality and internal momentum, so as to promote the standardized improvement and high-quality development of national economic development zones.