Hainan FTP off to a strong start after 100 days

Containers are stacked at a terminal of Yangpu Port, a vital port of the Hainan Free Trade Port. (Photo/Ye Longbin)

Good news came recently for Piao Huiling, an employee at the South Korea's Dong-A Pharmaceutical's Hainan branch. Her company's dedicated "enterprise secretary" service sent a helpful list of recommended contract manufacturers.

This personalized support is part of Hainan's push to create a better environment for businesses. Since the launch of island-wide special customs operations of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) on Dec. 18 last year, Haikou, capital city of Hainan province has continued to refine this tailored "enterprise secretary" service mechanism, offering customized support to businesses. Across the free trade port, the environment for enterprise development is becoming increasingly favorable.

March 27 marked the first 100 days of this new customs arrangement. The results are promising: policies are taking effect, development is speeding up, and the region is opening up further.

During this period, offshore duty-free sales hit 15.62 billion yuan ($2.26 billion), up nearly 28 percent year on year. Total foreign trade exceeded 80 billion yuan, growing by almost 33 percent. This new customs status gives Hainan a stronger foundation for deeper and wider economic opening.

The benefits are already visible. Take customs clearance: on March 16, a batch of food processing equipment cleared customs smoothly at Sanya Customs under Haikou Customs. "Companies no longer need to submit import licenses. With a smart supervision platform of the Hainan FTP, declarations can be completed seamlessly," said Gan Jiayong, deputy head of Sanya Customs. He added that customs authorities will continue to ensure the effective implementation of opening-up policies.

Engineers repair an aircraft engine and parts at an aircraft maintenance base in Haikou, south China's Hainan province. (Photo/Su Bikun)

Hainan is actively building a comprehensive policy and institutional framework for the FTP. The goal? To create a special customs zone with strong international competitiveness.

Progress isn't just on the ground. Late last year, Hainan launched China's first official passenger route operated under the Seventh Freedom of the Air, linking Sanya directly with Prague.

"As of March 23, more than 1,700 passengers have traveled on the route," said He Bang, head of the Civil Aviation Office of the Hainan Provincial Department of Transport. In early February, Terminal 3 of Sanya Phoenix International Airport was officially put into operation, further enhancing the airport's capacity. Sanya now operates 34 international routes, with international passenger throughput up 11.2 percent year on year.

Placing institutional innovation at the forefront, Hainan is working to foster a first-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized.

At the start of the island-wide special customs operation, Hainan introduced the first batch of 72 high-quality projects open to private investment. The provincial development and reform authorities have established matchmaking platforms to address mismatches between capital and projects, ensuring that "funds can find projects, and projects can find funding."

Supportive government policies and an improved business environment have fueled strong investment enthusiasm. At Guoquan International Food Industrial Park in Danzhou, Hainan, the first-phase project broke ground right after land was secured, and land for the second phase has been fully guaranteed, with construction progress exceeding expectations.

Photo shows the wharf area of the Sanya International Yacht Center and Sanya Cruise Tourism Center. (Photo/Ye Longbin)

Xiangqiong Sany (Hainan) Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park in Dongfang, Hainan has attracted a cluster of about 30 advanced manufacturing enterprises, with a planned total investment of 13.92 billion yuan. A number of landmark foreign-invested projects by companies such as Germany's Siemens Energy and France's Mayoly, are also speeding up construction and implementation.

The numbers tell the story: since the customs operation began, 85,000 new market entities have been registered in Hainan, a year-on-year increase of nearly 40 percent.

On March 21, Hainan introduced 20 key measures to stabilize businesses and benefit enterprises, establishing a coordinated service system, promoting market-based allocation of production factors, and advancing the deep integration of innovation, industrial, capital, and talent chains.

The appeal of FTP policies is turning into a driving force for high-quality development. Hainan is now building a modern industrial system tailored to its unique features and strengths, continuously upgrading its four pillar industries: tourism, modern services, high-tech industries, and efficient tropical agriculture. It is also fostering and expanding distinctive industrial chains focused on seed industry, marine economy, aerospace, green development and digital economy, laying a solid foundation for the growth of the FTP.

According to the outline of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), China will build the Hainan FTP to high standards, advance high-level island-wide special customs operations, and steadily expand opening up in trade, investment, and the flow of production factors, while establishing a framework of policies and institutions that aligns with a high-level FTP.

Today, Hainan is moving forward with greater determination to expand high-level opening up, cultivate new growth drivers, and unlock new potential in domestic demand.