Since the establishment of the Dalian Area of the China (Liaoning) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the Dalian Automobile Terminal has emerged as a major domestic hub for automobile transportation, managing over 80 percent of Northeast China's automobile imports and exports. Its pivotal role in developing Dalian into a key international shipping and logistics center in Northeast Asia has grown significantly.

Officially launched on April 10, 2017, the Dalian Area of the Liaoning FTZ covers 59.96 square kilometers. Since its inception, it has achieved over 620 milestones in institutional innovation, including two state-owned enterprise reforms recognized as national best practices by the Ministry of Commerce. Province-wide, 101 reform innovations and 12 financial innovations have been replicated.

Efforts to enhance the business environment have garnered favorable responses from market entities. Over the past seven years, the number of enterprises in the zone has surged from 7,000 to nearly 50,000, averaging a 35 percent annual increase. This growth includes nearly 1,200 foreign-funded enterprises, while small and medium-sized enterprises have seen annual growth rates exceeding 10 percent in recent years. In 2023 alone, the zone welcomed 7,856 new enterprises, constituting 15.6 percent of the city's total new businesses.

Li Guangyu, deputy director of the Business Environment Construction Bureau of the Dalian Area of the Liaoning FTZ, remarked, "Hosting the Summer Davos Forum in Dalian has expanded our global outlook and attracted numerous domestic and international enterprises to the Dalian Area. We will leverage this momentum to expedite the establishment of an investment and trade facilitation environment aligned with international standards."

"Looking ahead, we will continue to introduce innovative measures tailored to enterprise needs, maximizing the utilization of 'two markets and two resources'. Our goal is to establish a new hub with a leading business environment that is competitive both domestically and internationally," Li emphasized.

According to Liu Xiao, director of the Economic Development Bureau of the Dalian Area of the Liaoning FTZ, the zone prioritizes core sectors such as automotive vehicles and components, international commodity trade, as well as strategic emerging industries like new energy, advanced equipment manufacturing, digital information, and life sciences and healthcare. This comprehensive approach is bolstered by modern services including port & shipping logistics and finance, forming the integrated "242" industrial system.

Dalian Port maintains trade relations with over 160 countries and 300 ports globally, handling more than 70 percent of the foreign trade cargo and over 98 percent of foreign trade container shipments in Northeast China.

In 2023, the Dalian Area of the Liaoning FTZ added five new international trade routes and ten domestic trade routes at Dayaowan Port, and achieved a container throughput of 4.93 million TEUs, marking a 12 percent year-on-year increase. Crude oil throughput rose by 8.3 percent year-on-year to 36.11 million tons, while automobile exports surged by 52 percent to 60,000 units compared to the previous year.

The Dalian Area of the Liaoning FTZ is accelerating the development of its new energy industry cluster, focusing on hydrogen energy. Plans include establishing a 1-square-kilometer hydrogen energy industrial park to integrate the entire hydrogen energy industry chain, covering production, storage, transportation, refueling, and utilization. This initiative aims to establish itself as a leading innovation hub and an advanced equipment manufacturing base for hydrogen energy. Key projects in hydrogen energy research and testing, fuel cells, powertrains, and hydrogen energy motors are advancing into production stages.

Capitalizing on opportunities under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Dalian Area of the Liaoning FTZ has developed the RCEP (Dalian) International Business District. It has also implemented a "Three-Year Action Plan for High-Quality Implementation of RCEP" and introduced 15 special policies to attract high-end service industries such as trade, finance, and research and development from RCEP member countries to Dalian. A dedicated service center for RCEP has been established to support foreign-invested enterprises and facilitate international trade and cooperation.