Development and Opening-up of Pudong

Pudong is located at the junction of Huangpu River and Yangtze River estuaries. With the Reform and Opening-up, the development of Pudong was put on the agenda. In 1986, Shanghai Municipal (People's) Government submitted the (revised) Master Plan for Urban Development of Shanghai to the State Council, which defined the future development of Shanghai including Pudong which was affiemed by the latter. In January 1990, Deng Xiaoping put forward the idea of "developing and opening up Pudong" for the first time in Shanghai. In April of the same year, Li Peng, then Premier of the State Council, declared the major decision of the CC of the CPC and the State Council on the development and opening of Pudong in Shanghai. In May, the Pudong Development Office of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government and the Pudong Development Planning Research and Design Institute were officially registered. In 1990, three national development zones, Lujiazui, Waigaoqiao and Jinqiao, were first established, later Zhangjiang High-tech Park was established in 1992.

In the spring of 1992, Deng Xiaoping went to Shanghai and proposed that "the development of Pudong is later than that of Shenzhen, but the starting point can be higher. I believe that we can catch up later". In January 1993, the CPC Shanghai Pudong New Area Working Committee and the Shanghai Pudong New Area Management Committee were formally established. In August 2000, Pudong New Area was formally established. In June 2005, the State Council approved Shanghai Pudong New Area as the first pilot unit of comprehensive supporting reform in China. In April 2009, the State Council issued the document "Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Modern Service and and Advanced Manufacturing Industries, in Shanghai and Building an International Financial Center and International Shipping Center".

Pudong, as the core functional regional of "two centers" strategy, has undertaken the important mission of comprehensively implementing China’s national strategy. In May 2009, the State Council approved and agreed to revoke the former Nanhui Administrative Region and merged it into the Pudong New Area.

On September 29, 2013, China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone was established which covered an area of 28.78 square kilometers and included four special customs supervision areas, namely, the Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Waigaoqiao Free Logistics Park, Yangshan Free Trade Port Zone and Shanghai Pudong Airport Comprehensive Free Trade Zone.

On December 28, 2014, the State Council decided to promote the pilot experience of Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Pilot Zone and agreed to expand the scope of Shanghai Free Trade Pilot Zone by adding three new areas to the project, such as Lujiazui, Jinqiao and Zhangjiang. After the expansion the whole area Pilot Zone has increased from 28.78 square kilometers to 120.72 square kilometers. The development and opening up of Pudong became an important window for China's Reform and Opening-up.