The China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) launches the Global Operation Programme on Dec 16 to boost international trade. [Photo/china-shftz.gov.cn]

The China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) launched the Global Operation Programme (GOP) on Dec 16 to boost international trade, local media reported.

GOP is a high-level corporate headquarters which operates on at least two continents and is engaged in trade, investment, allocation, and research and development.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the beginning of Pudong's development and opening-up. The central government urged Pudong to establish an international financial-asset trading platform, develop a more advanced headquarters economy, and build itself into an important hub for global industrial, supply and value chains. The GOP implemented by Shanghai FTZ will offer strong support to Pudong in strengthening its ability to mobilize global resources.

At the launching ceremony, a total of 41 enterprises from 11 countries and regions such as the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan signed up to participate in the programme.

"Thanks to the advantages offered by the GOP, we will be able to further expand our imports and exports to encompass 27 countries and regions," according to an enterprise representative of Japan's Panasonic.

The business revenue of optical giant Carl Zeiss has exceeded 8 billion yuan ($1.22 billion) in the Chinese market in the 2020 fiscal year, surpassing its revenue in both the United States and Germany, making China the company's largest market, according to Maximilian Foerst, president and managing director of Zeiss China.

"Zeiss will continue to expand its business in China, and the company plans to relocate some of its departments and large-scale projects to China, including its microscope business," said Maximilian Foerst.

As a leader in China's efforts to open up, the bonded area of the Shanghai FTZ has gathered more than 30,000 enterprises from 139 countries and regions to date, most of which have turned themselves from representative offices into regional headquarters.

"The newly-launched GOP will provide supporting programs that are tailor-made to enterprises and help them solve problems in trade facilitation and fund settlement," according to Chen Yanfeng from the Shanghai FTZ administrative committee.