The development of special economic zones (SEZs) in Asia has attracted foreign investments and ensured spectacular economic growth at the (sub-)national level. While their competitiveness has initially been marked by deregulation, their integration into the global value chains as well as...

The establishment of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone immediately hit international and domestic headlines. On face value, the free trade zone is a variation to the long-established special economic zones set up by the Chinese government more than three decades ago in order to attract foreign...