CGTN: Hainan Free Trade Port: A key gateway for China's high-level opening up

A month before the official launch of China's Hainan Free Trade Port island-wide special customs operations on December 18, CGTN published an article explaining what the new customs operations mean. It highlights this landmark step as a key milestone in China's effort for high-level openness and stresses its role in promoting institutional transparency and enabling smoother, freer flows of goods, capital, and services.

BEIJING, Nov. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a month from now, on December 18, the much-anticipated island-wide special customs operations of Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) will be officially launched.

Ahead of the launch, Hainan International Ship Registration Administration has completed the bareboat charter registration for the Xiang Tai Kou, a semi-submersible vessel. It marks the official entry of China's first zero-tariff bareboat-chartered import vessel into the Yangpu Port fleet.

Benefiting from Hainan's zero-tariff policies, the vessel, chartered from Liberia, is exempt from import tariffs and value-added tax on charter rents, directly saving over 10 million yuan (roughly $1.4 million) in costs.

The case of this vessel demonstrates how the forthcoming island-wide special customs operations are poised to accelerate high-standard opening-up and deliver visible benefits to businesses operating in the FTP.

Hearing a work report on the FTP in early November, Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed the special customs operations as a landmark move to expand high-standard opening up and promote an open world economy. He called for efforts to better facilitate cross-border flows of factors of production and strive to create a first-rate business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized.

Cross-border flows of goods, first-rate business environment

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-tiered customs system will enable freer trade between Hainan and areas outside China's customs border, while maintaining standard customs controls for the mainland.

Noting the border between Hainan FTP and overseas regions forms the "first line," through which goods are allowed to flow more freely and conveniently, Wang Changlin, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a press conference in July that the proportion of tariff lines with zero-tariff products in Hainan FTP will increase from 21 percent to 74 percent.

Wang said that imported products that undergo at least 30 percent value-added processing in Hainan can enter the mainland tariff-free. He added that certain goods currently banned or restricted nationwide will enjoy open policies in Hainan.

Hainan is ready to utilize this opportunity to realize further development.

Over the past five years, Hainan has utilized actual foreign investment of 102.5 billion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 14.6 percent, attracting investment from 176 countries and regions. This positive trend is expected to gain more steam after Hainan begins special customs operations.

Eight ports will serve as first-tier entry points, allowing expedited clearance for qualified imports, while 10 second-tier ports will manage goods entering the mainland.

Based on the existing visa-free entry for travelers from 85 countries, local authorities plan to expand the number of eligible countries and introduce more flexible and attractive stay policies once special customs operations are in effect.

Besides, Hainan is also piloting a negative list for cross-border service trade, granting foreign investors national treatment in key sectors including finance, healthcare and education.

In step with the policies, expansion and upgrade efforts are gathering speed at Yangpu Port, which serves as a core logistics hub of the FTP.

Du Chengcai, deputy general manager of the Production Operations Center of Hainan Port and Shipping International Port Group, said a total of new 200,000-tonne berths are being added, and the existing network of 58 shipping routes is being expanded to further enhance cargo flow efficiency and strengthen Hainan's connectivity with global markets.

Economist Li Daokui of Tsinghua University observes that China is poised for one of its most significant rounds of market opening. Noting Hainan is set to become a special customs area and a testing ground for broader economic reforms, Li hailed Hainan as central to China's upcoming wider doors to foreign companies and technologies.

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