Under Huang, on April 21, 2015, Tianjin's first free trade experimental zone opened. Huang attended its inauguration. The trial of Zhou Yongkang, the highest-ranked official to go on trial since the Cultural Revolution, also took place in Tianjin between April and May, 2015, under Huang's watch. The 2015 Tianjin explosions took place during Huang's tenure. Several days after the explosion, Huang was named head of the response committee. He told journalists that he "takes inescapable responsibility" for the incident as he was the main official in charge of Tianjin.