China's comprehensive bonded zones account for 16.9% of foreign trade turnover on just 0.005% of the country's territory
3.5 trillion yuan ($520 billion) in five months, up 27.1% — while these zones cover just 0.005% of China's land area. They account for nearly one‑sixth of the country's total imports and exports. 174 special customs supervision zones span all provinces. In April, 24 new measures were adopted to boost growth further.
As reported by CCTV+, in the first five months of this year, the total import and export value of goods in China's comprehensive bonded zones grew by 27.1% year‑on‑year, making them a vital platform for the country's foreign trade development. From January to May, the total trade volume in these zones reached 3.5 trillion yuan (about $520 billion), accounting for 16.9% of the nation's total trade.
Remarkably, these comprehensive bonded zones occupy just 0.005% of China's territory, yet they handle about one‑sixth of the country's total foreign trade. These are customs‑controlled areas with streamlined procedures, serving as key platforms for China's opening‑up efforts. Measures such as import tax rebates, customs import facilitation and free movement of goods within the zones help enterprises significantly reduce institutional transaction costs.
China currently operates 174 special customs supervision zones, covering 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, including 168 comprehensive bonded zones, four customs supervision zones, one cross‑border industrial zone and one customs port zone.
In April, China unveiled a series of measures to promote the expansion and quality upgrade of comprehensive bonded zones, aiming to stimulate their high‑quality development. The 24 measures focus on four areas: fostering new business forms and models, enhancing the resilience and security of production and logistics chains, promoting integrated domestic and foreign trade, and improving smart regulation and coordinated management.
Comprehensive bonded zones are special areas with simplified customs regimes that allow businesses to save on tariffs and bureaucratic procedures. The first such zone was established in 1990. Since then, their number has grown to 174, covering all regions of China. Despite their microscopic share of the country's land area, these zones have become true "locomotives" of foreign trade, attracting investment and boosting exports. The new package of 24 measures adopted in April is aimed at further liberalization and enhancing efficiency.
When 0.005% of the land generates nearly 17% of foreign trade turnover, it is no longer just statistics. It is an architecture of openness. China does not build huge factories on every patch of land — it creates islands of efficiency where rules are streamlined and businesses operate at full capacity. The 174 zones are like 174 gateways through which goods travel to and from the world. And when 24 new measures are added in April, these gates swing wider. Because in the global economy, the winner is not the one with more territory, but the one who knows how to use every centimetre wisely.
