In the report he delivered at the opening session of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping said more powers will be granted to pilot free trade zones to conduct reform and explore the opening of free trade ports.

A free trade port is an entire port area in a country's territory that is considered to be outside the country's customs boundaries. All of the goods, or at least the majority of the goods that enter and depart the port, are exempt from custom duty.

As early as March, a document issued by the State Council, China's Cabinet, said that the Shanghai Free Trade Zone will build a top-level free trade port and implement trade supervision regulation in accordance with higher standards.

On Oct 26, the spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce Gao Feng said at a news conference that the ministry is working on the building of free trade ports in China's free trade zones to "push forward more comprehensive and deeper opening-up".

And the ministry is working with the Shanghai government and other departments on making a plan for building free trade ports, according to Gao.