The ceremony for the establishment of the China (Inner Mongolia) Pilot Free Trade Zone and the mobilization conference for its construction were held on Saturday morning in Hohhot, the capital of the autonomous region.

Spanning 119.74 square kilometers, the pilot FTZ comprises three subzones in Hohhot, Manzhouli, a northern border city, and Ereenhot, a land port on the China-Mongolia border, each featuring differentiated functions and the development of industries tailored to local conditions.

The Hohhot subzone, the largest of the three, will prioritize strategic emerging industries including new energy, new materials, biomedicine and next-generation information technology. It will also develop specialty sectors such as green agricultural product processing, while fostering modern services like logistics and the digital economy.

The Manzhouli subzone, situated at a major land port on the China-Russia border, will leverage its geographic advantages to focus on value-added processing of imported resources, cross-border tourism, cross-border finance and port services.

The Ereenhot subzone, located on the China-Mongolia border, will focus on international trade and logistics, cross-border tourism and international medical services.

With the establishment of the China (Inner Mongolia) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the latest move in the country's sustained push for high-standard opening up, China has expanded its pilot free trade zones to 23, according to an overall plan released by the State Council on Thursday.