North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region is stepping up efforts to build its pilot free trade zone (FTZ), with progress reported in institutional innovation, industrial development, and opening-up, according to a Nov 12 news conference.

Since the China (Inner Mongolia) Pilot Free Trade Zone was approved in April, the region has focused on testing new policies and mechanisms while promoting local economic development.

Government departments have introduced 20 dedicated support policies for businesses, comprising 242 specific measures covering legal services, financial innovation, cross-border payments, aviation logistics, computing power, port clearance, and overseas investment.

Over the past seven months, Inner Mongolia has assigned 81 reform pilot tasks to its three FTZ subzones and 29 regional government departments. The region has issued implementation and special action plans, gradually delegated administrative approval powers, and begun legislative work on an FTZ regulation. Baotou and Ordos cities have also recently been approved to establish FTZ-linked development zones, expanding opportunities for institutional innovation and industrial cooperation.

In institutional innovation, the region has achieved a series of breakthroughs by leveraging its strengths as an inland region bordering multiple countries. Inner Mongolia has become the first provincial-level region in China to offer simultaneous trading of green electricity and green power certificates. Two national standards for recycling retired wind power equipment have also been released, filling gaps in the country's standards system.

In the computing power sector, China’s first full-stack AI platform for green computing and its largest confidential token factory have been established in the region. Inner Mongolia has also secured approval for a national computing power interconnection hub node.

Meanwhile, new measures have been introduced to facilitate cross-border foreign exchange transactions and mobile payments between China and Mongolia. Progress has also been made in dairy breeding innovation and streamlined port clearance.

A third-party assessment shows that more than 56 of the 81 reform pilot tasks have been implemented with positive results.

The FTZ's development has also strengthened foreign trade and cross-border logistics. In the first 10 months of 2026, Inner Mongolia's imports and exports rose 29.5 percent year-on-year, 9.5 percentage points above the national average, ranking fifth nationwide.

Cargo throughput at land ports reached 133 million metric tons, up 26.1 percent year-on-year, the highest nationwide. The region also handled 49.6 percent of all China-Europe freight trains in transit across the country, ranking first nationally.

Meanwhile, trade with Russia and Mongolia increased 72.2 percent and 44.9 percent, respectively, while trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative grew 39.9 percent. Emerging business formats, including border trade and bonded logistics, are also expanding, alongside efforts to develop local processing of imported goods.