China's six new pilot free trade........>

CHINA PRESS: China's six new pilot free trade zones (FTZs)are expected to become

investment hotspots for foreign capital, according to Wang Shouwen, Vice

Minister of Commerce. Speaking at a briefing on Monday, Wang said the new zones

in Shandong, Jiangsu, Guangxi, Hebei, Yunnan and Heilongjiang provinces will

soon be open for investment. FTZs have a shorter "negative list" detailing

sectors in which foreign investment is banned than other cities and zones in

China, and this makes them attractive to European and American investors,

according to Wang. He said the existing 12 FTZs had attracted around CNY70

billion of foreign investment for the first half of this year, a 20% y/y,

increase. Wang told the briefing that China would grant more autonomy to FTZs,

including measures such as optimising clearance processes, innovating around

financial services and facilitating access to high quality talent.