Hainan FTP gears up for island-wide independent operation

<article><section data-type="rtext"><img data-alt="A drone photo taken on November 11, 2025 shows the customs inspection area at the centralized inspection yard of a freight port in Haikou, South China's Hainan Province. Photo: VCG" src="//img.huanqiucdn.cn/dp/api/files/imageDir/891a4d2679e8728e6f767be01ca007c0.jpeg?imageView2/2/w/750" />As China's Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) will officially launch island-wide independent customs operation on December 18, a local customs official said on Tuesday that all software and hardware conditions for the Hainan FTP's island-wide independent customs operation have been met, with all preparatory work essentially finalized. The island-wide independent customs operation will give Hainan greater latitude to explore and implement high-level opening-up measures, which will benefit the island's high-quality development and pave the way for nationwide reform and opening-up, experts said, noting that it sends a clear message to the world of China's firm commitment to expanding high-level opening-up. All software and hardware requirements have been met, Gao Ruifeng, director-general of Haikou Customs in South China's Hainan Province, said at a regular press conference of the General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Tuesday. "Four key customs infrastructure projects, including the international healthcare center, have begun operations. A total of 10 'second-line' ports have passed national acceptance inspections, with regulatory facilities and equipment ready for operations. The smart customs supervision platform has been operating smoothly, which meets the needs of customs supervision for the Hainan FTP's island-wide independent customs operation," Gao said. After the official launch, Hainan will implement a special supervision model of "freer access at the first line, regulated access at the second line, and free flow within the island." This two-tier customs system will enable freer trade between Hainan and areas outside China's customs border, while maintaining standard customs controls for the Chinese mainland. Continuously enhancing customs clearance facilitation remains a top priority for customs authorities, according to the GAC. For example, the customs agency has set up a classified management system for goods being shipped out of the island, with supervised channels and non-supervised channels at second-line ports to achieve highly efficient supervision and expediate port clearance, Pan Cheng, an official of the GAC, said at Tuesday's press conference. "The upcoming official launch of island-wide independent customs operation will not only mark a comprehensive elevation of Hainan's strategic status within China's national opening-up framework but also serve as a pivotal breakthrough in advancing China's institutional opening-up," Liang Haiming, dean of the Hainan University Belt and Road Research Institute, told the Global Times on Tuesday. The core of the Hainan FTP's island-wide independent customs operations lies in the integration of full-process closed-loop management for cross-border goods and high-level trade liberalization and facilitation, striving to maximize the dividends of the country's opening-up while ensuring safe and efficient operations, Liang said. A central pillar of the policy framework for the Hainan FTP is the enhanced zero-tariff policy. The proportion of zero-tariff products in the Hainan FTP will increase from 21 percent to 74 percent, while the number of tariff-free items will increase from about 1,900 to about 6,600, official data showed. These favorable measures are expected to reduce production costs for businesses while stimulating market vitality and significantly enhancing the level of merchandise trade liberalization and facilitation within the island, Bai Ming, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Tuesday. Policies will further expand opening-up and accelerate development, Bai said, noting that the island's opening-up is not merely about lifting restrictions, but also about systematically building an institutional framework to ensure the free and efficient flow of people, goods and capital. In the past five years, the actual utilization of foreign capital in Hainan reached 102.5 billion yuan ($14.35 billion), with an average annual growth rate of 14.6 percent. During the period, 8,098 new foreign-funded enterprises were established with an average annual growth rate of 43.7 percent, and 176 countries and regions invested in Hainan, according to data released at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on the Hainan FTP's development on July 23. The 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30) marks the first five years for the Hainan FTP to commence island-wide independent customs operations, serving as a critical period that bridges past achievements with future development, Li Yong, a senior research fellow at the China Association of International Trade, told the Global Times on Tuesday. In the long term, the Hainan FTP's island-wide independent customs operation will unlock greater potential, Li said, noting that global enterprises are expected to accelerate investment and establishment of businesses in Hainan, deeply integrating the island into global industrial chains and establishing itself as a pivotal gateway for reform and opening-up in the new era.</section></article>

10995

10996

10997

10998

10999

11008