Xiamen FTZ drives opening-up through institutional innovation

At the ongoing China International Fair for Investment and Trade, a group of designated robots has garnered attention as "smart staff", with nearly 20 units deployed to take on diverse roles, including welcoming guests, providing guided tours, answering inquiries, directing visitors to booths and facilitating interactive experiences.

These robots, from the exhibition center of Yuanqi Innovation Robot in the Xiamen Area of China (Fujian)Pilot Free Trade Zone, have been programmed since June with customized interactive scenarios designed by the technical team to enhance service at the fair.

"We hope to leverage CIFIT, a high-level international economic and trade platform, to demonstrate the strength of our customized Chinese robotics to domestic and overseas buyers, engage with global industry partners, and propel China-developed smart technologies into wider markets," a manager of Yuanqi said.

Shuttling through the exhibition halls, these "smart employees" offer a vivid example of the Xiamen FTZ's efforts to boost emerging industries via high-level opening-up.

Launched on April 21, 2015, as a pilot zone for China's reform and opening-up, the Xiamen FTZ has been guided by high-level opening-up and institutional innovation over the past 11 years. Implementing the strategy of upgrading pilot free trade zones, it has tested institutional innovations for nationwide application and sought to promote local development, playing an exemplary role as a comprehensive reform and experimentation platform.

At the XMFTZ Global Innovation Center for Sustainable Development, aka GISC, an air-to-water dispenser runs quietly. Requiring no plumbing, it relies solely on coffee-ground activated carbon filters to pull drinkable water straight from the air — producing zero greenhouse gas emissions in the process.

Behind this small green innovation is the Xiamen FTZ's proactive effort to engage in setting international high-standard frameworks. ESG standards — covering environmental, social and governance issues — as reflected in this water generator, are central to today's global sustainability field.

"We are drawing on the free trade zone's unique strengths in institutional innovation to build a full-chain ESG service ecosystem and help companies meet international compliance requirements head-on," said Xu Xinxin, head of GISC.

Launched in March, GISC has brought together leading domestic and international ESG service providers across the value chain, fostering an open and collaborative platform.

Promoting high-quality development through high-level opening-up, the Xiamen FTZ has rolled out a series of national firsts. These include the country's first safety guidelines for shipping containerized lithium battery energy storage systems, a maritime transport "single window" aligned with the FAL Convention, the first pilot program for bonded repair of non-self-produced medical devices, and the first public-interest arbitration system.

To date, the Xiamen FTZ has rolled out 677 institutional innovations, including 163 national firsts, and 31 "Xiamen practices" have been promoted nationwide by the State Council. Additionally, the safety standards for shipping chemical-grade barite powder — promoted by the Xiamen FTZ — have been incorporated into the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code, marking the transformation from a "Chinese standard" to an "international rule".

While openness demands channels, their real worth extends beyond physical connections to systemic integration. At Xiamen's terminals, containers are loaded onto ships — some joining 65 Silk Road Maritime routes to Southeast Asia and the Middle East, others connecting to the China-Europe (Xiamen) Railway Express via sea-rail transport. To date, more than 1,400 trains have run on the express, reaching 34 cities in 13 countries, while the maritime network handled 2.31 million twenty-foot equivalent units in 2025, up 3.3 percent from the previous year.

Meanwhile, the Xiamen FTZ is deepening cooperation with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative and BRICS members. It has facilitated the signing of a cooperation memorandum with Russia's Bolshoy Serpukhov Special Economic Zone and helped bring to Xiamen the resident representative office of an enterprise approved by Brazil's Piaui state.

Additionally, the Xiamen FTZ has integrated reform with development and technology with industry, creating 22 key platforms. It boasts the country's largest third-party aircraft maintenance base and has recorded more than 600 billion yuan ($89.24 billion) in bonded maintenance trade. Ranking fourth in aircraft leasing and first in second-hand aircraft disposal, it has brought in 253 aircraft, with assets totaling 130 billion yuan.

In 2025, the Xiamen FTZ completed maintenance on 425 inbound and outbound aircraft, ranking first nationwide in business volume.

The administrative committee of the Xiamen FTZ has collaborated with Xiamen Customs to launch the nation's first initiative for aircraft bonded maintenance outside comprehensive bonded zones. Together, they have rolled out nine FTZ innovation measures for the aviation maintenance sector, seven of which were rated as national firsts and three of which have been replicated nationwide. These efforts have filled critical gaps in the customs supervision policy framework for aviation maintenance.