HAIKOU — An alliance comprised of think tanks in China’s 12 free trade zones (FTZs) was established on April 9 in Boao, a coastal town in southern China’s Hainan province.

The alliance is expected to strengthen theoretical research on the construction of FTZs and free trade ports across China.

Zhong Yechang, dean of the Hainan Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, a member of the alliance, said at the launching ceremony that the establishment of the alliance is aimed to promote cooperation between its members, especially in data and information sharing.

China’s first pilot FTZ was set up in Shanghai in 2013. Since then, China has established a total of 12 FTZs, with the latest addition being Hainan, which received approval last April to build a pilot FTZ covering the whole island province.