Accelerating the free trade zone strategy
The Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Between China and ASEAN was signed in November 2002. It was China’s first free trade zone treaty that ushered in an FTZ era in the country. The CPC elevated free trade zone to a national strategy at its 17th National Congress in 2007, and decided to accelerate its execution at its 18th National Congress in 2012. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee proposed carrying out the FTZ strategy at a faster pace with neighboring countries, and forming a global FTZ network of high standard.
When presiding over a collective study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in December 2014, Xi Jinping reiterated the goal of building an FTZ network with neighboring countries as the basis that will also benefit the Belt and Road participants and serve the whole globe. In November 2015 the Central Steering Group for In-depth Reform reviewed and approved a document on accelerating the FTZ strategy at its 18th meeting, and set overall requirements, principles, tasks and goals, and layout for China’s FTZ construction, symbolizing the formation of China’s theory on FTZs.
The overall goal of China’s FTZ strategy is:
(1) accelerating the building of neighborhood FTZs with the aim of establishing FTZs with all neighboring countries, and improving economic and trade relations with the aim of building a huge market based on win-win cooperation;
(2) advancing the building of FTZs along the Belt and Road to create a huge market and turn the Belt and Road into a path to connectivity, commerce and trade, and openness;
(3) setting up a global FTZ network, with the aim of building FTZs with most emerging economies, major developing countries, major regional economic blocs and some developed countries, and building markets shared by the BRICS countries, emerging economies and developing countries.
加快實(shí)施自由貿(mào)易區(qū)戰(zhàn)略
2002年11月，中國(guó)與東盟簽署《中國(guó)—東盟全面經(jīng)濟(jì)合作框架協(xié)議》，這是我國(guó)對(duì)外簽署的第一個(gè)自由貿(mào)易區(qū)協(xié)定，標(biāo)志著我國(guó)開(kāi)始進(jìn)入自由貿(mào)易區(qū)建設(shè)時(shí)期。2007年黨的十七大把自由貿(mào)易區(qū)建設(shè)上升為國(guó)家戰(zhàn)略。2012年黨的十八大提出要加快實(shí)施自由貿(mào)易區(qū)戰(zhàn)略。2013年黨的十八屆三中全會(huì)提出要以周邊為基礎(chǔ)加快實(shí)施自由貿(mào)易區(qū)戰(zhàn)略，形成面向全球的高標(biāo)準(zhǔn)自由貿(mào)易區(qū)網(wǎng)絡(luò)。2014年12月，在主持中共中央政治局第十九次集體學(xué)習(xí)時(shí)，習(xí)近平進(jìn)一步提出要逐步構(gòu)筑起立足周邊、輻射“一帶一路”、面向全球的自由貿(mào)易區(qū)網(wǎng)絡(luò)。2015年11月，中央全面深化改革領(lǐng)導(dǎo)小組第十八次會(huì)議審議通過(guò)《關(guān)于加快實(shí)施自由貿(mào)易區(qū)戰(zhàn)略的若干意見(jiàn)》，提出了我國(guó)自由貿(mào)易區(qū)建設(shè)的總體要求、基本原則、目標(biāo)任務(wù)、戰(zhàn)略布局等，這標(biāo)志著我國(guó)自由貿(mào)易區(qū)理論體系已經(jīng)形成。
中國(guó)自由貿(mào)易區(qū)戰(zhàn)略的主要方向是：第一，加快構(gòu)建周邊自由貿(mào)易區(qū)，力爭(zhēng)與所有毗鄰國(guó)家和地區(qū)建立自由貿(mào)易區(qū)，不斷深化經(jīng)貿(mào)關(guān)系，構(gòu)建合作共贏的周邊大市場(chǎng)。第二，積極推進(jìn)“一帶一路”沿線自由貿(mào)易區(qū)，形成“一帶一路”大市場(chǎng)，將“一帶一路”打造成暢通之路、商貿(mào)之路、開(kāi)放之路”。第三，逐步形成全球自由貿(mào)易區(qū)網(wǎng)絡(luò)，爭(zhēng)取同大部分新興經(jīng)濟(jì)體、發(fā)展中大國(guó)、主要區(qū)域經(jīng)濟(jì)集團(tuán)和部分發(fā)達(dá)國(guó)家建立自由貿(mào)易區(qū)，構(gòu)建金磚國(guó)家大市場(chǎng)、新興經(jīng)濟(jì)體大市場(chǎng)和發(fā)展中國(guó)家大市場(chǎng)等。
