Since established on April 1, 2017, China (Hubei) Pilot Free Trade Zone Yichang Area(hereafter referred to as “Yichang area”) is targeting an important strategic pivot to connect the Yangtze River Economic Belt and Belt and Road (B&R). As a FTZ area in China’s hinterland, how to give full play to advantages while make up for shortcomings, how to explore new paths for opening up to boost industry development and aggregation are problems that Yichang area has given answers to during the two years.

　　Yichang is the gate to the Three Gorges and the throat of Sichuan and Hubei Provinces. 70% of its foreign trade relies on Yangtze River waterway. After establishment, Yichang area began to construct the multimodal transport system, integrating the resources of waterway, land, air and railway.

　　In November 2017, the Yichang-Wuhan-Europe freight train made its maiden voyage, which has achieved regular operation so far. Then Yichang- Manzhouli- Moscow- Mataszewicze- Hamburg and Yichang- Xi’an- Tashkent railway services were opened to ship the chemicals, food additives, medical cotton yarn, canned food, citrus, piano, saw blade and other goods produced in Yichang and its surrounding areas to the countries along the Belt and Road and carry back special steel products to Yichang.

　　Now, more and more enterprises prefer Yichang- Wuhan- Europe railway service. It made a good start for 2019: by March 31, 11 outbound trips were made, totaling 58 trains and 116 TEUs, an increase of 41% over the previous year.

　　In addition, Yichang area launched cross-border railway service to the South Asian countries. In September 2018, the Yichang- Qinzhou- Pasir Gudang (Malaysia) rail-sea route started operation, marking official opening of the first southbound channel for central China and Yichang area. The route links the Silk Road Economic Belt to the north as well as the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road and China-Indochina Peninsular Economic Corridor to the south, radiating more than 30 B&R countries in Europe, Cenral Asisa and Southeast Asia. It can be sure to help Yichang engage in China’s B&R Initiative and the development of Yangtze River Economic Belt, and boost cooperation and exchange between Yichang area and the B&R countries.

　　The preliminarily formed system of international logistic services in Yichang gave wings of development to a batch of local companies.

　　Jinbao Music Instrument Manufacture, the biggest piano supplier in Midwest of China, was founded by Parsons Music Corporation in 2000. Its product, Yangtze River pianos, has been sold to over 40 countries and regions, including Germany, the US and Singapore.

　　“As the Yichang area of Hubei FTZ established, we enjoyed an array of bonus from reforms in administrative service, customs clearance and so forth. In 2018, the company saw an export growth of 4 million U.S.dollars,” president assistant of Parsons Music Corporation Xian Jie said.

　　The support policies issued in Yichang area helped many local enterprises go global.

　　Angle Yeast Co., Ltd’s new plant in Russia was operational on February 27, 2019, . As Asia’s biggest yeast manufacturer, the company’s Russian branch tested run in September 2017. It then became the most advanced yeast plant after more than a year’s commissioning. The company realized sales revenue of 300 million yuan in 2018.

　　Yichang Humanwell Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd was granted the title of ‘Individual Product Champion’ by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in October 8, 2018. At the same time, the company also won big in the international market: In 2018, five products received approval from U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); in April 2017, it signed an agreement with an Indonesian corporation, becoming China’s first company exporting technology of narcotic drugs.

　　In addition, Yichang area took advantages of functional platforms to drive the cultivation of trade industry.

　　The Yichang Comprehensive Bonded Zone, with total investment of 5.52 billion yuan, is expected to be operational by the end of this year.

　　The cross border e-commerce industry park in Yichang, with a total construction area of 74,000 cubic meters, is expected to open in the first half of this year.

　　After two years’ development, Yichang has increasingly become a new highland of opening up and ‘main engine’ of growth. Statistics show that...

　　In 2018, Yichang area saw 71 projects signed which brought in investment of over 11 billion yuan, fixed assets increased by 14.1% year on year, total industrial output value up 29.7%, exports grew by 20.59%, high-tech output value jumped by 34%.

　　In the two years, the cumulative use of foreign capital reached 130 million U.S.dollars; the Three Gorges Bonded Logistics Center realized value suspension of 2.3 billion yuan, maintaining first in Hubei.

　　Link：

　　Yichang Area of Hubei FTZ covers 27.97 square kilometers. With its main part located in Yichang Hi-Tech Industry Development Zone, Dongshan Industry Park and a bioscience industrial park, is dedicated to the development of advanced manufacturing, bio-medicine, electronic information, new materials and other high-tech industries, headquarters economy, e-commerce and other modern service industries.