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Special Economic Zones in India

SEZs Around the World: Shenzhen and Beyond

China's Shenzhen zone, set up in 1980, turned a fishing town into a manufacturing giant and inspired zones across the world.

A global experiment.

Shenzhen

It attracted foreign investment with special policies, and grew into a city of millions.

Other successes

Jebel Ali in Dubai, Korea’s Masan, and Bangladesh’s garment zones.

Failures

Many zones in Africa and elsewhere failed due to poor infrastructure and weak policy.

Lesson

Zones work when linked to the wider economy and backed by good infrastructure.

A fishing village

Shenzhen grew from a small town to one of the world's major tech and manufacturing hubs.

Assuming all zones succeed

Many fail.

Key takeaways
  • Shenzhen is the flagship case.
  • Jebel Ali is another success.
  • Many zones failed.
  • Links and infrastructure decide success.
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