The China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone in the Pudong New District of Shanghai has had a leading role in helping Chinese enterprises invest or expand overseas over the past two years, the Pudong Times reported on Oct 27, citing figures since September 2013, when the FTZ opened, that show Pudong investment abroad worth $5.6 billion in 2014.

Over the past two years, more than 600 companies involved in outbound investment have registered in the FTZ, with investment by Chinese investors reaching $18.3 billion, and this year 2015 saw a major surge with 385 investment programs in the first nine months, for a total of $13.5 billion, or 41 percent of the city's total, and a demonstration of the varieties, for example, private equity, property, and technology.

Local authorities say that the surge is the result of the zone's administrative and finance innovations, such as a simpler system to get investment program approval within three days. There are also free trading accounts that make it easier for Chinese companies to get foreign currency for cross-border businesses and an online site for cross-border investment to help companies that want to invest overseas.