As one of the first batch of state-level development zones in China, TEDA was established in 1984, upon the approval of the State Council. TEDA is 142 km east of Beijing, located in the center of the Circum-Bohai Economic Belt and the eastern end of One Belt One Road. After many years of development, TEDA has formed nine leading industries: Electronics & Telecommunications, which is represented by Samsung, Honeywell; Automobile, represented by VW, Toyota and Great Wall; Biopharmaceuticals, headed by GlaxoSmithKline, Novo Nordisk; Food, represented by Coco-Cola; Machinery Manufacturing, represented by Vestas, SEW and OTIS; Aerospace, represented by the next-generation carrier rocket base; New Energy and New Material, represented by Motimo Menbrane and Kyocera Solar; Petrochemicals, led by Shell and Dow Chemical; Modern Service, focused on financial services, logistics and service outsourcing.

By the end of 2016, TEDA has been home to 5613 foreign-funded enterprises. Among them, 1415 projects have invested over US$10 million each and 91 Fortune Globe 500 companies have invested in 282 projects in TEDA.