The Chinese authorities on Tuesday officially gave a green light for three new free trade zones in the country, state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

The agency quoted a brief statement released by the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, after a meeting headed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

There is no confirmation yet on when the three zones – in Guangdong province, Fujian province and the city of Tianjin – will officially move forward. The decision to create such areas was announced by the State Council, the country’s cabinet, in December 2014.

The three new areas will be based on the model of the Shanghai free trade zone, the nation’s first such venture. It was established in September 2013 as a testing ground for economic reform, to boost foreign investment and to promote international use of China’s currency, the yuan.

The Guangdong zone, with 116 square kilometres, aims to deepen economic integration with Macau and Hong Kong.