Financial industry

Pingtan also seeks to become a regional hub for cross-Straits business and trade to develop the city's nascent financial service industry.

Pingtan's financial industry grew by 1.4 billion yuan ($203 million) in 2016 and now accounts for nearly 7 percent of the city's GDP. The number of financial companies operating in the city has also skyrocketed from 28 in 2011 to 995.

The zone is dedicated to supporting Taiwan banks, insurance, securities and other financial institutions to establish branches in Pingtan to promote capital exchanges across the straits.

The next tasks for the Pingtan government are to deepen the reform and opening-up of the financial sector and build a shared financial services platform, while mitigating potential risks.