The Dongjiang Free Trade Port Zone, one of three core parts of the Tianjin Pilot Free Trade Zone, is the world's second largest airplane leasing market behind that of Ireland.

Basing itself on modern service industries such as shipping logistics, international trade, and financial leasing, it contains over 10,000 registered enterprises with an average scale exceeding 70 million yuan ($10.07 million). Its domestic and foreign investment has been growing rapidly for 10 consecutive years.

By April, a total of 1,613 airplanes had been leased out, with total assets reaching 1.5 trillion yuan since the founding of the zone in 2009.

Since being upgraded as one of the four comprehensive bonded areas in the port city by the State Council, China’s Cabinet, the zone has introduced new services and functions

By leveraging its prime location and favorable policies, it is adding to its operations high-end equipment R&D, the medical industry, logistics and the service trade, as well as the inspection and maintenance industry and other key industries.

For example, China Railway Engineering Equipment Group (Tianjin) Company is expecting more businesses with comprehensive bonded functions being activated in the area.

As a wholly owned TBM manufacturing and remanufacturing base subsidiary of CREG, which is headquartered in Zhengzhou, Henan province, it exported over ten Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) to countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative last year.

Taking advantage of Tianjin’s favorable shipping conditions CREG’s Tianjin subsidiary serves as a critical gateway for exporting CREG products to Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Europe.

Last year, it shipped the first TBM exported to Africa, with a length of 91 meters.

CREG now has an annual output of over 50 sets of TBMs, re-manufactured machines and related parts. And it is expected to see more business of re-manufacturing and exporting as the bonded area publishes more favorable policies.