The recently held Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China clarified the guiding ideology, overall goals, and major principles of the nation as it further deepens comprehensive reforms and promotes Chinese-style modernization, as well as implemented several major reform measures. Keywords in the communiqué of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, such as "comprehensively deepening reform", "adhering to the basic national policy of opening up to the outside world", "building a new open economic system at a higher level", and "steadily expanding institutional opening-up" have attracted a great deal of attention from the international community.

Hainan, as China’s largest special economic zone, is developing as a free trade port with Chinese characteristics on par with international standards. The province has a special status and plays an important role in China's reform and opening up and socialist modernization.

What new opportunities can China's ongoing deepening of reforms bring to the rest of the world? As China continues to open up more and more to the outside world, how can international companies share in the benefits of China’s development? What key role does Hainan play in this? In a recent interview with Hainan International Communication Center, Malaysian economist and Secretary-General of the ASEAN-China Economy and Trade Promotion Association Ronald Pua Eng Teck shared his views, as well as his confidence in China's reform and opening up. He believes that after several years of development and maturation, Hainan’s potential as a gateway for economic and trade cooperation between China and ASEAN countries is on the rise. He looks forward to seeing how the additional benefits of Hainan’s institutional innovation and reform and opening up will continue to attract investment and spur joint development in the region.