Chongqing, Zhoushan to be selected as new free trade zones

Chongqing, and the coastal city of Zhoushan, in Zhejiang province, are being tipped by shipping experts as hot favorites to be chosen as new free trade zones for the third round selection, as the central government devotes more resources to developing the Yangtze River Economic Belt within its 13th Five-Year Plan.

从航运专家处获悉，重庆、以及浙江省沿海城市舟山将有望入围第三批新的自贸区——随着中央政府在十三五规划提出，将致力于投入更多资源发展长江经济带。

Eager to enhance the earning ability of inland regions, China has been keen to support the growth of city clusters in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, which comprises the Yangtze River Delta, the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Chengdu-Chongqing region, as well as encouraging more foreign companies to invest in central and western regions.

热切期待提高内陆地区的盈利能力，中国一直积极支持长江经济带城市群的发展，包括长江三角洲地区、长江中游地区和成渝地区，并鼓励更多的外商投资中西部地区。

The central government is also likely to give priority to restoring the Yangtze valley's ecological conditions, while pressing ahead with efforts to develop an integrated transportation and modern industrial corridor within the country.

中央政府也将优先恢复长江流域的生态环境，并着力推进发展综合交通枢纽，构建现代产业走廊。

China's existing four FTZs offer a range of incentives, including more favorable interest rates, reduced tariffs on goods and trade, the use foreign currencies for payment, liberalized financing agreements, and other offshore financial services.

我国现有的四个自贸区提供一系列的优惠政策，包括更优惠的利率，对货物、贸易降低关税，使用外币支付，放开融资协议，以及其他离岸金融服务。

But with all of those in coastal regions, Dong Liwan, a shipping industry professor at Shanghai Maritime University, said Chongqing especially is seen as a strong likely new FTZ location.

上海海事大学的航运业教授董力万说，但是它们都分布在沿海地区，所以重庆极有可能成为一个新的保税区选址。

"Selecting Chongqing as a new free trade zone would result in upgraded development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, where growing shipping activities offer a diversified business platform for 11 provinces and municipalities including Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan and Hubei," said Dong.

他说，"选择重庆作为新的自贸区，将促进长江经济带的发展。此区域日益增长的航运活动为江苏、安徽、湖南、湖北等11个省市提供了多样化的商务平台。"

Already officials have expressed an interest in accelerating the developing pace of Wuhan, the inland capital city of Hubei province, Chongqing and Nanjing as regional shipping and logistics centers, which can act as river-ocean and water-railway combined-transportation hubs. Zhoushan, however, has become a favorite given its existing transshipment cargo and logistics facilities, and strong transport links with the rest of the country, both by water and rail.

作为江海联运和水铁联运的运输枢纽，尽管政府已经表达了加速发展武汉（内陆城市、湖北省省会）、重庆和南京这三个城市作为区域航运和物流中心的兴趣。然而，鉴于其现有的货物转运和物流设施，以及与中国其他地方无论是水运还是铁路的强大的运输连接，舟山已然成为一个热门之选。

The city has rare deep-water port facilities, and is located strategically, close to the T-shape intersection of the Yangtze River and the coastline. The integration of Zhoushan Port and nearly Ningbo Port was started in 2006, and their throughput has been counted together since. They officially merged into one in September 2015, and recorded container throughput of 20 million twenty-foot-equivalent units for the first time last year.

舟山市有罕见的深水港设施，且地理位置很具战略性，它坐落在长江和南北海运的T形交汇处。舟山港和附近的宁波港从2006年开始一体化建设，自那时起，他们的吞吐量就合并计算。2015年9月，双方正式合并，集装箱吞吐量刷新记录，去年首次达到2000万标箱。

Chen Yingming, executive vice-president of the Shanghai-based China Ports and Harbors Association, said Zhoushan already has plans to focus on FTZ-related shipping and finance services.

中国港口协会上海执行副总裁陈英明说，舟山已经计划把重点放在保税区相关的航运和金融服务。