By Hasan Muhammad

Editor's Note: The writer is a freelance columnist on international affairs based in Karachi, Pakistan. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of China Economic Net.

Forty-five years ago, China took a bold step. It carved out small coastal patches of land - Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou, and Xiamen - and tasked them with the impossible: to reconcile socialist planning with market impulses. To the surprise of many observers abroad, and perhaps to some skeptics within, the gamble worked. Shenzhen, once a sleepy fishing village, now brims with skyscrapers and nearly 20 million residents. The others followed in its wake, evolving into thriving hubs of trade, logistics, and innovation.

The Special Economic Zone model was beguilingly simple. Let a handful of enclaves operate under different rules: more autonomy for local authorities, easier entry for foreign investors, and greater room for market experiments. If it failed, the damage would be contained. If it worked, the lessons could be scaled. It worked better than anyone imagined. By the time China joined the WTO, SEZs were generating a fifth of the nation's GDP and handling the bulk of its exports.

What makes the SEZ experience even more striking is the contrast with parallel attempts elsewhere. From India's faltering export zones in the 1980s to Africa's patchy experiments in more recent years, many efforts at replicating the model have stumbled on weak infrastructure, political inconsistency, or poor alignment with local needs. China's approach worked precisely because it blended pragmatism with patience: zones were granted the freedom to fail but also the resources to succeed. The results underscore that success in such ventures requires not just liberalized rules but an entire ecosystem of policy continuity and long-term vision.

But anniversaries aren't just for nostalgia. Today's world is less hospitable to openness. Protectionism, tariffs, and geopolitical friction weigh heavily on trade. Yet the SEZs remain remarkably resilient. Shenzhen has reinvented itself as a crucible for artificial intelligence, biotech, and renewable energy. Zhuhai positions itself as a model for environmentally conscious growth. Xiamen leans into cultural industries and maritime trade, even as cross-strait politics complicate the picture.

Their reach now extends beyond China's borders. In Pakistan, a Chinese-backed SEZ inaugurated this August promises to generate billions in exports. In Myanmar, the Kyaukphyu port under the Belt and Road umbrella pushes connectivity into the Indian Ocean. These projects show how the SEZ blueprint can travel, though not without caveats - local instability and debt burdens can dampen potential.

Consider Shenzhen's transformation into a hub of green innovation. Its leadership in electric vehicles, renewable technologies, and next-generation batteries is not merely about market demand. It reflects a broader Chinese bet that the future global economy will be defined as much by climate imperatives as by consumer appetites. Zhuhai's emphasis on ecological sensitivity carries a similar message: that modernization need not replicate the environmental recklessness of the past. In their own ways, these zones are quietly rewriting the narrative that rapid growth must come at the expense of sustainability, and offering an alternative development model.

Meanwhile, within China, the Greater Bay Area initiative knits SEZs with Hong Kong and Macao, building cross-border synergies in finance, research, and governance. The experiment, it seems, has moved from coastal fringes to the heart of regional and even global strategies.

That global context is changing fast. Washington's tariffs, imposed this summer on Chinese tech exports, are pushing firms to diversify supply chains. Some production drifts toward Southeast Asia, yet China's SEZs still draw capital and talent by virtue of their unmatched ecosystems. They remain bridges in an era of decoupling - bridges that connect China to the world, but also shield it with self-reliance.

The upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin will likely reinforce this trajectory. SEZs are increasingly seen not only as national laboratories but as regional platforms. Whether through renewable energy collaboration, digital economy initiatives, or Belt and Road partnerships, they are building connective tissue across Eurasia. For countries wary of overdependence on Western institutions or protectionist markets, China's SEZ legacy presents a pragmatic path forward. Forty-five years on, what began as a domestic experiment is evolving into a tool of regional diplomacy - proof that controlled openness, once doubted, can become a cornerstone of global engagement.