The Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone was established in 1991 with the approval of the State Council. It has evolved from an initial customs special supervision area of 5 square kilometers to a large comprehensive economic functional zone consisting of multiple customs special supervision areas and economic development zones, with a total area of 202 square kilometers. Comprising three distinct sections—airport, seaport, and harbor—the Zone encompasses the Tianjin Airport Economic Area and the Tianjin Aviation Logistics Zone within its airport section, while the seaport section houses the Tianjin Port Comprehensive Bonded Zone. The harbor section envelops the Tianjin Harbor Economic Area, boasting 80 kilometers of coastline and dual port areas, Dagukou and Gaoshaling, with a combined port throughput capacity of 300 million tonnes.
Over the years, the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone has been committed to becoming a leading port economic demonstration area, an upgraded version of a free trade zone, and a modern international aviation city. It has actively seized major development opportunities such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the pilot free trade zones, the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and the development and opening-up of the Tianjin Binhai New Area. Efforts have been made to attract high-level investment projects, promote industrial upgrading, optimize the industrial structure, enhance industrial clustering, and achieve high-quality development. As a result, it has evolved into a distinctive economic zone with evident comprehensive advantages, high openness, and remarkable vitality.
The Zone has registered 34,500 business entities, encompassing 275 projects financed by Fortune 500 global companies. In 2022, the regional GDP witnessed a 3.9% increase, with an annual industrial output value of 180.31 billion yuan, sales of goods totaling 1,060.67 billion yuan, and the profit-making service industry generating an income of 77.4 billion yuan. The district-level general public budget revenue amounted to 10.19 billion yuan, while the utilization of foreign capital reached 870 million US dollars.
Relying on the superior geographical location, developed infrastructure, strong industrial foundation, abundant talent supply, excellent office conditions, comprehensive living facilities, a favorable atmosphere for innovation, and quality government services offered by the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone, the Tianjin Italian SME Industrial Park can fully meet the development needs of Italian SMEs.