On May 12, the China (Shaanxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone Development Forum was held in Xi'an. Overseas institutions stationed in Shaanxi, relevant think tank institutions, associations and chambers of commerce in the Free Trade Pilot Zone, national free trade pilot zones, relevant provincial departments, various management committees and functional areas of Shaanxi Free Trade Pilot Zone, Xi'an Jiaotong University Free Trade Research Institute, and related enterprises, a total of more than 320 people participated in the forum.

The forum is themed "Construction of Inland Free Trade Pilot Zones". Well-known experts and scholars at home and abroad discuss how to build the Shaanxi Free Trade Pilot Zone into a pilot field for comprehensive reform and opening up, and the path and method of a new highland for inland reform and opening up. Xia Xiaozhong, deputy secretary-general of the Shaanxi Provincial Government, attended the forum and delivered a speech. Long Yongtu, chairman of the China and Globalization Think Tank, Zhang Yuzhong, deputy director of the Investment Promotion Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce, and Samir, CEO of the World Free Zone Organization, attended the forum.

In his speech, Xia Xiaozhong said that in the past year, the Shaanxi Free Trade Pilot Zone has been actively exploring its strategic positioning, boldly trying, boldly breaking through, and independent reforms. It has made some active explorations in the reform of "deregulation, supervision and service", reform of investment and trade facilitation, financial service innovation, economic cooperation and cultural exchanges with countries along the "Belt and Road", and has achieved phased results. In the next step, the construction of Shaanxi Free Trade Pilot Zone will take institutional innovation as the core, give full play to the role of the "test field" of reform and opening up, accelerate the formation of a law-based, internationalized and convenient business environment and a fair, open, unified and efficient market environment, and accelerate the construction of the "Belt and Road" transportation, trade and logistics center, international capacity cooperation center, science and technology innovation center, international tourism center, and regional financial center, and strive to build Shaanxi into a new highland for comprehensively deepening reform and opening up, and form a new pattern of reform and opening up at a higher level.

Zhang Yuzhong said that the construction of a free trade pilot zone is a major strategic measure for the Party Central Committee and the State Council to comprehensively expand opening up and deepen reform under the new situation. The Investment Promotion Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce has always actively utilized its existing channels and advantages, firmly grasped the advantages of the free trade pilot zone as a new highland for the national opening-up policy, and actively studied and carried out investment promotion services for the free trade pilot zone. In the future, the Investment Promotion Bureau will continue to explore new patterns, new methods and new means of investment promotion in the free trade zone.

Long Yongtu said that the construction of China's free trade experimental zone should actively explore Chinese characteristics. For Shaanxi, we should rely on the starting point of the Belt and Road Inland Silk Road and the advantages of the development of the western region, strengthen the ability to replicate and promote, do a good job of stress testing, and face the international community with a broad vision, further deepen reforms and expand opening up.

Samir said that the World Free Trade Zone Organization represents the Global Free Trade Zone and is a non-governmental organization and non-profit organization. Relying on this platform, the global Free Trade Zone will conduct more exchanges and share experiences. The free trade experimental zone should have a good economic environment, the best business environment, economy and sustainability in order to achieve long-term development.

At the forum, experts and scholars at the meeting gave special speeches and speeches on the construction of Shaanxi Free Trade Pilot Zone, and made suggestions on the construction of inland free trade pilot zones.

It is reported that the Shaanxi Free Trade Pilot Zone has currently formed 77 innovative practice cases, with 14,811 new registered market entities, which is more than half of the total number of market entities before the unveiling. The first US$200 million overseas bond in the free trade pilot zone (Xi'an International Land Port Group) was successfully issued in Hong Kong. There are 57 international routes. We have established scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation relations with more than 40 countries and regions, and the number of international students in Shaanxi reached 11,160, an increase of 13.5%. In 2017, the total import and export volume of the free trade pilot zone was 198.49 billion yuan, accounting for 73.1% of the total import and export volume of the province during the same period. (China Daily Shaanxi News Agency)