Training on Special Economic Zones and Economic Corridors held in AFDI
Asia-Pacific Finance and Development Institute (AFDI) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) co-organized the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) as Catalysts for Economic Corridors, Value Chains and Production Networks Training on 7-11 May in AFDI, Shanghai. Government officials from Southeast Asia countries of Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Lao, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam attended the training.
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SEZ has become an important strategic instrument to encourage investment, increase exports, create jobs and boost economic growth in developing Asia. Especially in China, the SEZs in various forms are undoubtedly one of the most important engines for driving the country’s economic growth since its reform and opening-up four decades ago. Knowledge and experience sharing in developing SEZs and economic corridors, therefore, has become a significant topic for all the policy makers.
The training workshop introduced the concepts, types, evolution, rationale, role in economic development, benefits, design, implementation and management of SEZs, and also presented the SEZs practices and performance in Asia and other continents. During the five-day training, China’s experience in SEZ and industrial parks has been emphasized, with introductions on the overview of Development Zones in China, case study on China’s Pilot Free Trade Zones and Suzhou Industrial Park, which participants also paid field visit to help deepen the understanding in China's experience. Country participants also took the opportunity to introduce its own strategy in SEZ development, and share experience with experts and other participants.
