Dalian Jinpu New Area in Liaoning province has grown into a pivotal driver of economic growth and international cooperation in Northeast China, and as the region’s first national-level new area, it plays a key role in facilitating trade and economic engagement with Northeast Asian countries, thanks to its distinct strategic positioning, the Beijing-based Economic Daily reported.

In 2017, the State Council approved the establishment of the China (Liaoning) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ), with the entire Dalian section situated within Jinpu New Area. Covering half of the total area of the provincial FTZ, the zone has become a testing ground for institutional innovation and high-level opening-up reforms in Liaoning.

Jinpu New Area boasts a world-class port cluster featuring specialized terminals for containers, automobiles, and bulk commodities. It boasts 50 open berths, including facilities capable of handling 200,000-ton containers, 400,000-ton ore, and 450,000-ton crude oil vessels. With 106 container routes and trade connections to over 300 ports across more than 160 countries and regions, it handles more than 70 percent of Northeast China’s foreign trade cargo and over 98 percent of its foreign trade container volume.

Driven by both foreign trade and investment, Jinpu New Area continues to build momentum in industrial development. In 2024, it reported total imports and exports of 227.4 billion yuan ($31.6 billion), marking a 2.3 percent year-on-year increase and accounting for 51 percent of Dalian’s and 30 percent of Liaoning’s trade volumes. The area is home to 2,423 foreign-invested enterprises, including 896 Japanese firms, 382 South Korean companies, and 265 from Europe and North America.

To further streamline operations and reduce costs, the area has rolled out a series of innovative measures to boost foreign trade, such as a fully digitalized supervision system for imported vehicles and efficiency-enhancing solutions for cross-border logistics.

It is also accelerating the bonded trade model for key commodities including oil, ore, grain, and natural gas. Since the establishment of the FTZ, Jinpu New Area has introduced more than 700 institutional innovation outcomes, focusing on reform pilots, industrial bottleneck solutions, and the continued optimization of the business environment.

Jinpu New Area is also a core base for advanced manufacturing in Dalian. It has developed five major industrial clusters: equipment manufacturing, petrochemicals, electronics and information technology, automobiles and auto parts, and biomedicine.

As of 2024, the area housed 1,042 industrial enterprises above designated size, generating a total output value of 385.5 billion yuan—accounting for 45.3 percent of Dalian's total. Industrial added value rose 7.3 percent year-on-year.

By the end of 2024, the area had attracted seven national-level "single champion" enterprises and 39 national-level specialized and innovative "little giant" firms. It also hosted 1,800 high-tech enterprises and 107 gazelle companies, reaffirming its role as a leading center for innovation and high-quality manufacturing in Northeast China.