Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, will develop its Nansha district, a newly-approved free trade zone in the heart of the Pearl River Delta, into an international shipping and logistics center to help expand its economy

"Nansha, in the southernmost part of the Pearl River, which also faces Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, also has advantages in terms of development of shipping services," Chen said

At a news conference following the local people's congress annual session, which concluded on Friday, Chen said enhanced shipping and logistics services would help facilitate development of the free trade zone.

According to a government work report, the Nansha free trade zone will copy the business model of Shanghai, including a "negative list" management on foreign investment. It will also conduct a series of new pilot policies including tax rebates based on port departures, cross-border renminbi loans and offshore data services.