On the morning of May 30th, the 2nd China (Hainan)-New Zealand Business Environment Workshop and China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement Upgrading Meeting was held in Haikou. The Hainan Provincial Foreign Affairs Office and the New Zealand Consulate General in Guangzhou jointly organized the event.

Nearly 50 people attended the meeting in person, including local government officials from various places in China and New Zealand, leaders of industrial parks, and representatives of more than ten domestic and overseas enterprises. To effectively enhance the focus and effectiveness of the discussions, the meeting focused on trade facilitation and port business environment in line with current efforts to promote Hainan's whole-island independent customs operations. Attendees engaged in in-depth technical discussions on the benefits of upgrading free trade agreements for exporters and importers, customs procedures and trade facilitation, adopting "Authorized Economic Operator" (AEO) status, paperless trade, and combating tax evasion.

As the only free trade port with Chinese characteristics, Hainan plays an essential role in China's opening-up strategy. Currently, Hainan has issued over 180 policy documents that are the cornerstone of the Hainan Free Trade Port's open policies and globally competitive institutional system. The unlimited business opportunities and huge investment potential of the Hainan Free Trade Port have now been recognized by international investors. New Zealand has become Hainan's second largest source of agricultural imports, with agricultural product trade developing rapidly in the past two years. At this year's China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE), Chinese consumers were keen to learn more about and purchase products from New Zealand.