The Gui'an New Area of Guizhou province now has a free trade zone that is expected to be open for business this year after having been cleared by the province and is waiting for the final go-ahead, with construction and infrastructure work completed, and the R&D center and shops expected to be finished in December.

Work on the 2.2-square-kilometer zone was approved by the State Council on Jan 12 this year, as a bonded trade zone working with the Free Trade Zone in the city of Guiyang, with favorable tax and foreign exchange policies. For its initial age, it is expecting more than a dozen projects worth 980-million yuan ($154.3 million) and related to manufacturing, storage, logistics, R&D, and port facilities.

In the 2016-17 period it will add a bonded product exhibition and trade center with outsourcing to give it more strength in exports and imports which are expected to reach $10-billion in 2018.