Dilemmas and Optimization of Spatial Governance in China’s Free Trade Zones: A Comparative Study Based on International Mature Experiences
Abstract：
A Free Trade Zones (FTZ) refers to a designated area within a country or customs territory that applies preferential tax and regulatory policies to advance highlevel openness through institutional innovation. China’s 22 FTZs face spatial governance challenges: at the planning stage, the lack of national-level legislation and a unified policy framework results in policy fragmentation, industrial homogeneity, and weak regional coordination; during construction, rigid land allocation mismatches enterprise needs and development tools remain fragmented; in operation and management, fragmented property rights and absent exit mechanisms impede efficient land use. Based on comparative study of six mature global FTZsin Los Angeles, Singapore, Hong Kong, Rotterdam, Cologne and Dubai, this study proposes a “China Model” for full-lifecycle spatial governance across planning, construction, and operation. It advocates specialized national legislation to remove institutional barriers and enable rapid land-use conversion, alongside a central-local coordination network that integrates macro-level FTZ planning with micro-level innovations such as whitelist-based land supply, achieving dynamic alignment between institutional reform and spatial governance.