Shanghai's pilot free trade zone will have reached operational maturity by 2016, and three batches of innovative systems tested in the zone will be in use elsewhere in China, Shanghai's Party Secretary Han Zheng said Thursday.

The city has a three-year timetable to test all kinds of new systems and laws in the zone that could be applied across the nation, Han told reporters at a press conference for the world's media on the sidelines of the annual session of National People's Congress in Beijing.

Han said the city government would be announcing an evaluation of the first six months of FTZ operations in October, when it will also produce the first batch of institutions and mechanisms for nationwide application.

He said that "whether they can be applied elsewhere" was the main criteria for policies tested in the FTZ.

Shanghai would be working in cooperation with Hong Kong on free trade zone matters, he said. The last round of cooperation between Hong Kong and the city concerned the World Expo in 2010.

The FTZ, which was inaugurated on September 29 last year, was designed to be a testing ground for new policies and new administrative methods.

Shanghai Mayor Yang Xiong told the press conference that the 2014 version of the negative list, an approach adopted in the zone and common practice in other FTZs, will be published within the first six months of this year.

Yang said the new version would be more transparent and allow greater freedom in investment.

Han said deepening reforms in various areas remained a major task for the city.

A reform leading group had been formed that will hold its first meeting later this month to guide reform in the FTZ, state-own enterprises, education, health care and culture as well as social management, he said.

To manage the increase in the city's population, Han said he would continue to concentrate on the wellbeing of ordinary citizens and use innovative measures to manage the city's future.

He said there were few places with a population larger than Shanghai's, around 24 million.

Han said he acquainted himself with public opinions on the Internet every day.

"I have many channels to get to know as much as public opinion including from my colleagues, teams, family and friends to improve and adjust the work of the government," he told reporters.