When the China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) announced its work chart recently, You Quan, the Fujian Party secretary was head of the 29-member group, while Su Shulin, Fujian governor, was first deputy group leader, and Zhang Zhinan, executive vice–governor, and Zheng Zhajie, vice-governor were deputies, according to a National Business Daily report of March 1.

The FTZ team is headquartered at the provincial Commerce Bureau and is responsible for coordinating all zone construction work, development plans, related policies and policy implementation.

China announced at an NPC meeting back on Dec 28 that it will set up three new FTZs -- in Fujian and Guangdong provinces and the city of Tianjin -- with relaxed investment rules to speed up reforms amid economic hardships.

But, the Fujian zone’s inauguration was postponed just a day before it was scheduled to take place, on Feb 27, without any explanation. Speculation was that it might wait until after this year’s National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) sessions, in the second half of March.

The Fujian zone covers 118 square kilometers, in the cities of Pingtan (43 sq km), Xiamen (43.78 sq km), and Fuzhou (31.26 sq km), all concentrating on greater cross-Straits cooperation with Taiwan.

A specialist on FTZs at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Chen Bo, explains that the work team is of great significance to the FTZs to avoid possible competition between them.

Senior officials from the three places have been added to the work team, including Yang Yimin, Fuzhou’s mayor, Pei Jinjia, Xiamen’s mayor and Li Dejin, secretary of the Pingtan Party Working Committee.