Tianjin FTZ to have shorter 'negative list' than Shanghai   

天津自贸区首份负面清单将少于“上海2014版”

天津市市长黄兴国日前在该市第十六届人民代表大会第三次会议上作《政府工作报告》时，透露了去年获批的北方惟一自贸区——中国（天津）自由贸易试验区的建设思路。他表示，2015年，天津市将以自贸区建设为重要抓手，着力构建开放型经济新体制，在新一轮改革开放中争当领军者、排头兵。 [查看全文]

(ECNS) - The pilot free trade zone (FTZ) in Tianjin municipality will have fewer bans or restrictions on certain types of foreign investment compared to Shanghai's FTZ, the China Youth Daily reported on Wednesday.

Tianjin mayor Huang Xiangguo said in a government report that the FTZ will take advantage of the planned integration of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, as well as the nation's "One Belt and One Road" initiatives.

Tianjin's FTZ will be open around March 1 or after the "two sessions" later that month. The two sessions refer to the annual session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's political advisory body, and the National People's Congress, China's legislature.

Both FTZs have adopted the "negative list" approach, a list of specific sectors where foreign investment will be banned or restricted, while no permission will be required to invest in other sectors.

There are 85 regulations on how business is conducted in the Tianjin FTZ, 54 less than the current "negative list" of the Shanghai FTZ, says Liu Jiangang, the deputy secretary general of the Tianjin municipal government and head of the city's business committee.

The Tianjin FTZ consists of three districts and covers 119.9 square kilometers, slightly smaller than the 120.72-square-kilometer Shanghai FTZ.

The regulations on the Shanghai FTZ's "negative list" were reduced to 139 in 2014 from 190 in 2013, and there are plans for further reductions this year.

Liu also says Tianjin will copy the successful experiences of Shanghai and make innovations according to its own characteristics.