Holley Group's Chinatown in Thailand has green ambitions

Shen said that the biggest advantage is that tires manufactured in Thailand can help the company avoid trade barriers imposed by Western countries.

"We need to diversify our products' countries of origin, so that we can deal with trade protectionism by other nations," he said.

While Shen remains confident about the future, Futong Group has already achieved its initial target in Thailand.

As China's largest fiber-optic cable producer in terms of market share, Futong Group entered the industrial zone in 2010. Currently it accounts for about 40 percent of the Thai market.

Wei Guoqing, general manager of Futong's Thailand branch, said that the company has established a complete industrial chain in Thailand that can cover the entire market in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Xu said that the industrial zone has already established its own brand that Chinese companies can tap.

"I think we have built a model for Chinese overseas industrial zones," he said.

Wang, Holley Group's chairman, said that with the success of the Rayong Industrial Zone, the company is planning to construct two more overseas industrial zonesto further provide platforms for Chinese manufacturers across the world.

The company is setting up an industrial zone in the north of Monterrey, Mexico. The site is 200 km from the US border and construction will start at the beginning of next year.

Once construction is complete, the 8.5-square-kilometer industrial zone will host about 60 to 80 Chinese manufacturers of automobile accessories, photovoltaic and wind power equipment.

"The Mexican zone will be a stepping stone for Chinese companies to tap the US market with lower taxes and fewer trade barriers," he said.

In addition to the Mexican project, North Africa is also on Wang's plan. The company will open an industrial zone in that area, most likely in Tunisia.

"The North African industrial zone will cover African, European and Middle East markets, which, together with the previous two, makes us capable of reaching the whole world," he said.