TEDA' Development and its Empirical Evidence for the Theory of World Free Economic Zones

Free Economic Zones (FEZs) have played a dominant role in open-door policy and economic reform of China since 1978. Due to the reduction of financial incentive (1996), entering WTO (2001) and the financial crisis (2008), Chinese FEZs have faced new challenges and problems since the middle 1990s. Based on numerous face-to-face interviews and the analysis of official and semi-official statistical data and publications, and starting from a short review about Chinese open-door policy and the achievement and problems of FEZs since the late 1970s, this paper discussed the experiences, challenges, transformation of TEDA (Tianjin Economic and Technological Development Area), and its empirical evidence for the development of Chinese FEZs, even for the theory of FEZs in other continents by analyzing objectives and development policy, preferential policy, industrial sector, spatial structure, and governance structure. This study has improved the precious research conclusion about the benefits and roles, essential feature and lifecycle of FEZs, especially the Export Processing Zones (EPZs) in Southeastern Asia.