The initial idea was shot down (pardon the pun) because the host countries considered it a form of colonialism. The article mentions taking a different approach - one more like Hong Kong. > Instituting charter cities instead as public-private partnerships, between city developers and host countries, could achieve better results—setting up a governance structure that doesn’t infringe on sovereignty but that still prioritizes economic and governance success. ...and... > The lessons from China are instructive. The twin miracles of Hong Kong and Shenzhen on the mainland show how governance decisions at the city level can ignite economic growth. Shenzhen, in fact, resembles a charter city more than a typical special economic zone. Its jurisdiction is much larger than that of most special economic zones. The city’s reforms spurred markets in land and labor and helped bring foreign direct investment to China for the first time. Other cities in China went on to replicate Shenzhen’s success. In 1984, 14 additional coastal cities opened to foreign direct investment. By 1988, border areas, the Yangtze River, and inland areas were opened as well. The strategy of special economic zones, combined with urbanization, helped turn China into an economic powerhouse.