The State Council, China's Cabinet, has agreed to expand the special economic zone (SEZ) in Shantou, Guangdong province, to cover the entire city starting May 1, cnr.cn reported Wednesday.

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Founded in 1981, the Shantou SEZ originally covered 1.6 square kilometers, which was expanded to reach 234 sq km of the city in 1991.

The expansion this time will cover the entire city of 2,064 sq km, according to the report.

The city, with a population of 5.07 million, reported gross domestic production of 120.33 billion yuan in 2010, according to the city's statistics bureau.