加快实施自由贸易区战略
2002年11月，中国与东盟签署《中国—东盟全面经济合作框架协议》，这是我国对外签署的第一个自由贸易区协定，标志着我国开始进入自由贸易区建设时期。2007年党的十七大把自由贸易区建设上升为国家战略。2012年党的十八大提出要加快实施自由贸易区战略。2013年党的十八届三中全会提出要以周边为基础加快实施自由贸易区战略，形成面向全球的高标准自由贸易区网络。2014年12月，在主持中共中央政治局第十九次集体学习时，习近平进一步提出要逐步构筑起立足周边、辐射“一带一路”、面向全球的自由贸易区网络。2015年11月，中央全面深化改革领导小组第十八次会议审议通过《关于加快实施自由贸易区战略的若干意见》，提出了我国自由贸易区建设的总体要求、基本原则、目标任务、战略布局等，这标志着我国自由贸易区理论体系已经形成。
中国自由贸易区战略的主要方向是：第一，加快构建周边自由贸易区，力争与所有毗邻国家和地区建立自由贸易区，不断深化经贸关系，构建合作共赢的周边大市场。第二，积极推进“一带一路”沿线自由贸易区，形成“一带一路”大市场，将“一带一路”打造成畅通之路、商贸之路、开放之路”。第三，逐步形成全球自由贸易区网络，争取同大部分新兴经济体、发展中大国、主要区域经济集团和部分发达国家建立自由贸易区，构建金砖国家大市场、新兴经济体大市场和发展中国家大市场等。
Accelerating the free trade zone strategy
The Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Between China and ASEAN was signed in November 2002. It was China's first free trade zone treaty that ushered in an FTZ era in the country. The CPC elevated free trade zone to a national strategy at its 17th National Congress in 2007, and decided to accelerate its execution at its 18th National Congress in 2012. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee proposed carrying out the FTZ strategy at a faster pace with neighboring countries, and forming a global FTZ network of high standard.
When presiding over a collective study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in December 2014, Xi Jinping reiterated the goal of building an FTZ network with neighboring countries as the basis that will also benefit the Belt and Road participants and serve the whole globe. In November 2015 the Central Steering Group for In-depth Reform reviewed and approved a document on accelerating the FTZ strategy at its 18th meeting, and set overall requirements, principles, tasks and goals, and layout for China's FTZ construction, symbolizing the formation of China's theory on FTZs.
The overall goal of China's FTZ strategy is:
(1) accelerating the building of neighborhood FTZs with the aim of establishing FTZs with all neighboring countries, and improving economic and trade relations with the aim of building a huge market based on win-win cooperation;
(2) advancing the building of FTZs along the Belt and Road to create a huge market and turn the Belt and Road into a path to connectivity, commerce and trade, and openness;
(3) setting up a global FTZ network, with the aim of building FTZs with most emerging economies, major developing countries, major regional economic blocs and some developed countries, and building markets shared by the BRICS countries, emerging economies and developing countries.