The State Council has just chosen Southwest China's Chongqing municipality to become the country's first inland tariff-free zone, Bo Xilai, the Chongqing Party chief and a deputy to the National People's Congress, said on March 6.

Bo said Chongqing has lagged behind the other three municipalities directly governed by the State Council - Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai - in economic development, but it is the only one of these municipalities located in inland China.

Bo said a series of measures have been taken by both the local government and the State Council to create favorable conditions for the opening-up of Chongqing. The establishment of a tariff-free zone in Chongqing marks a big opportunity for the opening-up of China's inland cities.

Source: China Daily