HEFEI — The pilot free trade zone (FTZ) in East China's Anhui province generated foreign trade of over 45.6 billion yuan (about $7.1 billion) in the first three months of this year, up 33.3 percent year-on-year.

Foreign direct investment in the pilot FTZ rose 7.4 times year-on-year to $66.9 million, according to the administration office of China (Anhui) Pilot Free Trade Zone.

During this period, 3,646 new enterprises had been established and 110 projects worth more than 100 million yuan had been signed for Anhui's pilot FTZ, with a combined contractual investment of over 142.5 billion yuan, official data showed.

The pilot FTZ has launched 20 innovative measures in fields including trade facilitation, financial openness and industry integration in the first quarter.

"We will accelerate institutional innovation and transform the innovative measures into policy dividends that enterprises can feel and enjoy, and further promote the high-quality development of Anhui's pilot FTZ," said Liu Guang, deputy head of the Anhui provincial department of commerce and deputy director of the pilot FTZ's administration office.