Qingdao FTZ joins Yellow River Basin Pilot FTZ Alliance

The launch ceremony of the Yellow River Basin Pilot Free Trade Zone Alliance is held in Jinan, Shandong province on Aug 23. [Photo/Dazhong News]

The China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone Qingdao Area, or Qingdao FTZ, became a member of the Yellow River Basin Pilot Free Trade Zone Alliance at the alliance's launch ceremony in Jinan, Shandong province on Aug 23.

The alliance, initiated by Shandong, includes 12 free trade zone areas and 15 functional economic zones in the nine provinces and autonomous regions that the Yellow River runs through, which include Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Henan and Shandong provinces, and the Ningxia Hui and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions. It was launched to promote regional cooperation and coordinated development in the Yellow River Basin.

During the launch ceremony, Qingdao FTZ signed agreements with alliance members to promote a cooperative mechanism for integrated administrative examination and approval services. The mechanism is based on the "Online Free Trade" cross-region collaborative government service model pioneered by Qingdao FTZ.

Qingdao FTZ introduced the pioneering model to alliance members at the ceremony. The model has been proven effective for integrating government services in free trade zone areas in Shandong province and is being promoted in more provinces in China.

Among the three areas of the China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the Qingdao Area is the largest area and undertakes the most pilot tasks. It has been exploring establishing a mechanism for integrated administrative examination and approval services and has made a number of innovative achievements.

Container ships dock in Qingdao Port, Shandong province, on Jan 24, 2022. [Photo/IC]