1 Current Situation and Problems
According to the Overall Plan for the China (Jiangsu) Pilot Free Trade Zone, each section of the Jiangsu pilot free trade zone has adopted various measures to promote the coordinated development of the pilot free trade zone and ports, including enhancing the concentration of shipping elements, relying on the pilot free trade zone for maritime technology innovation, and building linked innovation Zones within the pilot free trade zone. While some achievements have been made, there is still a gap in meeting national strategic needs, integrating domestic and international dual circulation, and improving the quality of economic cooperation in the Yangtze River Delta. The main issues currently faced by the coordinated development of the Jiangsu pilot free trade zone and ports are as follows:
International Logistics Services and Channels Need Improvement
In the Suzhou pilot free trade zone, the only public terminal, Suzhou Park Port, which began operations at the end of 2018, currently has three water-to-water transfer routes to Shanghai Yidong Terminal, Waigaoqiao Port, and Taicang Port. However, due to its late start, port infrastructure and collection and distribution channels need improvement. The Suzhou Zone also has a China-Europe truck route to provide logistics services for high-value products with high timeliness requirements, further expanding international logistics channels. In the Nanjing pilot free trade zone, the ports of Qibao, Dachang, and Xiba on the north bank of the Yangtze River and Xinshengwei and Longtan on the south bank have foreign trade cargo transfer functions. The more developed Longtan and Xinshengwei ports are far from the Nanjing pilot free trade zone, and the nearest Qibao port is still in the early stages of development and cannot yet support the development of the pilot free trade zone.
Lack of Internationally Competitive Shipping and Logistics Leading Enterprises
The construction of the pilot free trade zone requires ports to build a complete international logistics service system. Currently, due to the lack of internationally competitive leading enterprises in each Zone, the modernization level of logistics supply chain services is low, and the supply chain integration function is limited, making it difficult to form core competitiveness.
Barriers in Information Sharing Between pilot free trade zones and Ports
At present, it is difficult for Jiangsu's ports, shipping, cargo owners, agents, and port supervision departments to achieve data interconnection. There is a lack of information sharing interfaces between customs and transportation departments, which affects the efficiency of shipping big data utilization.
Need to Strengthen the Driving Force and Coordination of Institutional and Mechanism Innovation
Institutional innovation is a primary task of the pilot free trade zone, requiring coordinated efforts from various management departments. As the pilot free trade zone reform gradually enters a critical and deep-water period, issues such as imperfect overall promotion mechanisms and poor cross-departmental linkage still exist in promoting key reform tasks centered on institutional innovation.
2 Experiences and Analysis from Other Provinces and Cities
Based on research, some successful experiences in the coordinated development of pilot free trade zones and ports in Shanghai, Guangdong, and Hainan are worth studying and learning from:
Innovative Port Supervision Models to Improve Trade Facilitation
The efficiency of port customs clearance is a significant factor in expanding business volume. From the experiences of Shanghai, Guangdong, and Hainan, it is evident that relaxed customs supervision policies greatly facilitate port operations. In future construction, Jiangsu needs to actively learn from domestic and international advanced port supervision practices, accelerate the reform and innovation of port clearance systems, and truly endow the pilot free trade zone with the basic attribute of inside the territory but outside customs.
Promote Zone-Port Linkage Development to Realize Port-Adjacent Industrial Clustering
The Guangdong pilot free trade zone has a dedicated seaport block focusing on port logistics, high-end manufacturing, supply chain management, and high-end shipping services, gathering global resources. Although the Jiangsu pilot free trade zone and ports do not completely overlap geographically, it is necessary to promote Zone-port integration in future coordinated development, leveraging port advantages to drive the development of port-adjacent industries.
Enhance Shipping Financial Services Based on Financial Opening Policies
Shanghai Port, relying on the financial policies of the pilot free trade zone, has achieved cross-border financing liberalization and facilitation, establishing a comprehensive financial service platform. The Jiangsu pilot free trade zone should encourage the introduction of relevant policies and collaborate with the Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Anhui pilot free trade zones to jointly promote the development of financing leasing and shipping insurance businesses related to port logistics in the Yangtze River Delta port group.
3 Countermeasures and Suggestions
Enhance International Logistics Channel Functions
In terms of water transportation, accelerate the construction of modern port and shipping infrastructure, promote the construction of high-grade waterways and collection and distribution systems, optimize and integrate port resources, and gradually improve the container liner network. Promote the Park Plan of Suzhou Park Port, leveraging the cost advantage of container shipment at Qibao Port to support the foreign trade cargo transportation business in the Nanjing Zone. Coordinate the development of containers across the province at the provincial level, promote the linkage and dislocation development of Nanjing and Taicang ports, and make Nanjing a hub for intermodal transport by rail, road, and water in the Yangtze River Basin. In terms of air transport, rely on Nanjing Lukou International Airport's Jiangbei New Zone urban terminal, and explore establishing a virtual air cargo station in the Nanjing pilot free trade zone to create an integrated land-air intermodal transport model. Increase support for major port projects, key projects, and international trains in the Lianyungang Zone to enhance hub functions as soon as possible.
Establish a Long-Term Mechanism for Larger-Scale Information Resource Integration and Sharing
Build a unified public information platform, open data channels, innovate systems with port groups based on electronic customs supervision, integrate customs, railway arrival, customs declaration, verification system functions, and loading and unloading point production system data, and realize seamless integration and non-sensory clearance of multimodal logistics, enhancing modern port management, port and shipping supervision, and service informatization levels, optimizing the customs clearance environment and speed. Use the information resource sharing platform to proactively find business-friendly policy service targets through big data analysis.
Enhance Coordinated Management Level of Zone-Port:
Unify the development positioning, collection and distribution system, and information platform planning of each pilot free trade zone port within the province, strengthen the interaction and cooperation between each pilot free trade zone, customs, highway bureaus, railway bureaus, and surrounding ports, and explore new Zone-port linkage solutions through joint organization, policy research, project promotion, and event hosting. Actively promote the construction of linked innovation Zones within each pilot free trade zone, deeply overlapping the respective advantages of pilot free trade zones and development Zones. Relax industry and market access, referring to relevant policies of the Shanghai and Fujian pilot free trade zones, and relax foreign shareholding ratios in international shipping, international ship management, international maritime cargo handling, international maritime container stations, and yard enterprises to 51%. Priority should be given to introducing high-quality foreign logistics enterprises to cultivate and expand the market entities of international logistics distribution centers and attract international logistics supply chain enterprises and logistics platform enterprises to settle in.
Support Higher-Level Institutional Innovation
In terms of management mechanisms, build a new pattern of coordinated promotion led by higher-level institutions with the participation of relevant ministries and provinces, forming a new pattern of coordinated promotion by central ministries, provincial departments, and pilot free trade zones. Make greater use of cross-regional linkage models such as the Yangtze River Delta integration to achieve linked development of the Yangtze River Delta pilot free trade zone, amplifying the achievements of reform and innovation. Actively explore new models for Yangtze River Delta logistics integration, fully utilize the Yangtze River Delta regional cooperation and development joint conference, promote the construction of a cross-regional pilot free trade zone alliance in the Yangtze River Delta, and form a comprehensive Free Trade pattern of pilot free trade zone + linked innovation Zone + radiation-driven Zone.
(Research Group Members: Changxin Xu, Counselor of the Provincial Government, Professor at the Business School of Hohai University; Fagui Hu, Counselor of the Provincial Government, Director of the Institute of Philosophy and Culture at the Jiangsu Academy of Social Sciences; Jingxin Zhou, Counselor of the Provincial Government, Honorary President of Jiangsu Chinese Painting Academy; Lijun Hou, Former Counselor of the Provincial Government, Professor at the School of Business Administration at Nanjing University of Finance and Economics; Qingzhong You, Former Counselor of the Provincial Government, Former Director of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Transportation; Min Song, Associate Professor at the Business School of Hohai University.)
