Free trade ports to propel China's opening-up

A dozen Chinese municipalities and provinces are at the forefront of attempts to construct free ports, in an effort to advance higher-quality liberalization and to facilitate trade and investment.

The provincial government of Liaoning in Northeast China has officially reported its free port plan to the State Council for approval, according to Economic Information Daily, a newspaper affiliated with State media Xinhua News Agency.

Shandong province, in East China, is also seeking to build a free port in its coastal city of Qingdao, said the newspaper, citing people with direct knowledge of the matter.