Sustainable Competitive Advantages for Regional Development: An Exploratory Study of the China (Anhui) Pilot Free Trade Zone

This paper analyzes the comparative advantages and development prospects of the China (Anhui) Pilot Free Trade Zone. Based on a SWOT analysis method, this study finds that the Anhui Pilot Free Trade Zone has a set of comparative advantages, including location advantage, rich resources, industrial transformation and new industries, technological innovation capabilities, new patterns for development, and policy support. In recent years, by leveraging its key resources, Anhui Province has been committed to developing an open economy. Furthermore, its economic vitality has increased significantly under preferential policies such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the China- Europe International Freight Shuttle, and the Yangtze River Economic Belt Development Plan. As a result, the total foreign trade has continued to grow. The findings of this study highlight that the comparative advantages are of great significance to the development of the Anhui Pilot Free Trade Zone, which helped expand the scope and openness of the regional economy and foreign investment. However, to achieve the development objectives of the Anhui Pilot Free Trade Zone as planned, these comparative advantages must be developed and converted into a set of sustainable competitive advantages for the regional economy. Therefore, a few development suggestions are put forward.