During November 11-13, 2015, the innovation project team, focusing on the “international law issues facing construction of a new open economic system”, came to Shanghai for an investigation into the construction of Shanghai Free Trade Zone. Team members included the chief researcher Liao Fan, executive researcher Zhang Wenguang and assistant researcher Huang Jin. The investigation received great support from Shanghai Academy, and Doctor He Tiantian, Programme Manager of Cooperation Division of Shanghai Academy, joined the whole investigation. The project team successively had talks with the persons in charge from Shanghai Municipal People’s Government and from the Shanghai Free Trade Zone Branch of China Construction Bank (CCB).

Shanghai Municipal People’s Government attaches great importance to the investigation, and the Legal Affairs Office of the municipal government organized several government departments directly related to construction of the free trade zone to hold talks with the project team. Luo Peixin, Deputy Director of the Legal Affairs Office, chaired the talks. Attendees included Gu Honghui, Deputy Director of the municipal development and reform commission and head of the Bureau of Commodity Prices, Li Zhiwei, Deputy Director of the Research Office of the municipal government, Li Jun, Deputy Director of Shanghai Financial Service Office, Wei Hao, Director of the Division of Foreign Capital of the municipal industrial and commercial administration, Chen Hao, Deputy Director of the Division of Foreign Capital of the municipal commission of commerce, Huang Jianfeng, Deputy Head of the Policy Research Division of the Administrative Committee of Shanghai Free Trade Zone, and Chang Jiang, Deputy Director of the Division of Economic Regulations in the Legal Affairs Office of the municipal government, who detailed and analyzed the construction history, accumulated experience, current problems and development prospects of Shanghai Free Trade Zone from different perspectives.

The project team also conducted field investigation at the Shanghai Free Trade Zone Branch of the CCB to learn about financial openness and innovation. Deputy Director Huang Xiangdong and General Manager Li Jian of the CCB Free Trade Zone Branch gave vivid introduction of the financial innovation in the free trade zone, the operation process of free trade accounts, the long-term role of free trade accounts in the “going global” move of Chinese enterprises and the demand for innovative modes of financial supervision in combination with the practice in commercial banks.

The investigation was successful as every scheduled task was accomplished smoothly.