In 2020, Hainan had one of the best tourism recoveries of all Chinese provinces. As of the end of last year, the total number of high-tech enterprises in Hainan during the effective period reached 838. The actual use of foreign capital was about $3 billion USD last year, meaning that these numbers have now doubled for three consecutive years. The number of countries and regions setting up foreign-funded enterprises in Hainan has increased by more than 40 over the previous year. Achievements including the new Island-departure Duty-free Policy, two 15% income tax policies, and the improved business environment have highlighted results of the final year of the "13th Five-Year Plan" in Hainan.

In the last  episode, we learned how international entrepreneurs view the work of the government and what they expect for Hainan's Two Sessions. In today’s episode, we have three interviewees who are working in education or environmental protection. They will share their opinions on the Hainan government’s work in 2020 and their expectations for Hainan’s Two Sessions in 2021.   

Jennifer Kreisz, who comes from Canada, came to Hainan in January, 2020. Now she is an English teacher working in HNU-ASU Joint International Tourism College, Hainan University. For the Hainan government’s work in 2020, she said: “Well, I think the government's initiatives in Hainan's Free Trade Port have been very good, and I would like to see more initiatives for global investment, especially in the tourism, health and wellness industries.”

Alex Whitton, who is an English teacher as well, said: “What most impressed me is that they've been able to continue working on the Free Trade Port. They published negative lists or new tax policies, and that's really important for China’s opening up.” 

As an environmentalist, Anna Trukhina shared her interest in Hainan’s environmental protection work: “Actually, I have been living in Hainan for many years, and I also see Hainan’s rapid changes. I especially pay close attention to environmental protection because I often organize some environmental protection activities. And many people are doing garbage sorting and they do it very well. I hope everyone can keep making efforts to cherish the environment.”

For the upcoming Hainan Two Sessions, Jennifer, Alex, and Anna also shared their expectations. 

“Especially for foreigners who are working in Hainan, the Two Sessions need their voices heard as well. So if they can bring their suggestions to the table, I think that it will benefit everyone and it will be more prosperous for the entire country and the global community,” Said Jennifer.

Alex said founding some job websites and holding job fairs are great ideas, but for some expats who are not able to speak Chinese or whose Chinese is not good enough to access these things, it is difficult for them to take advantage of these services and websites. Therefore, Alex thinks translating can make them available at English and other foreign languages.

For Anna, she hopes the Hainan government can launch some new policies on talent introduction and sort out the relevant requirements because many Russian friends of hers have asked her how they  can come to Hainan to work and live.