August 29, Changchun, Jilin — Hainan Province held a promotional press conference in northeastern China for the very first time to highlight the latest progress of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), including its island-wide special customs operations, policy incentives, business environment and investment opportunities.

Officials from various provincial departments in Hainan briefed media and business representatives on the opportunities arising from the Hainan FTP's development, as well as cooperation between the two provinces in areas including manufacturing, tourism, healthcare, technology and overseas expansion.

A Hainan-Jilin business and industry matchmaking event was held the same day. Cities and counties on Hainan Island, including Haikou and Chengmai, as well as key industrial parks, presented investment opportunities, while companies from the two regions explored potential projects and deeper cooperation under the Hainan FTP.

The Hainan FTP launched island-wide special customs operations on Dec. 18, 2025. Since then, as it seeks to strengthen its role as a new frontier for China's opening-up, the province has reported smoother flows of people and goods and faster customs clearance, said Wang Bin (member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee, Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee).

Average customs clearance times for imported goods at Hainan's eight “first-line” open ports have fallen by 20%, while declaration items for goods leaving the island through its ten “second-line” (mainland-facing) ports have been reduced by more than 60%.

As of July 31, 2026, 1.818 million inbound and outbound passengers had passed through Hainan since the launch of island-wide special customs operations, up 27.1% year on year, while international and regional flights increased 25.9% to 13,000.

Covering more than 6,600 items, the proportion of commodity tax items covered by the FTP's "zero-tariff" policy have risen from 21% to 74%. In the half year since the launch of island-wide special customs operations through July 31, zero-tariff imports reached CNY 3.624 billion (USD $505 million), with CNY 598 million in tax reductions. Goods eligible for tariff exemptions under the processing value-added policy and sold domestically were valued at CNY 759 million, resulting in tariff reductions of CNY 44.6 million.

Hainan's economic links with overseas markets have also expanded. The province has established trade ties with more than 220 countries and regions, while 22 foreign companies from the Fortune Global 500 have established operations in Hainan. Business under the Hainan FTP's multi-functional free trade account, or EF account, has exceeded CNY 600 billion.

Wang Bin said Hainan and Jilin have complementary resources and a solid foundation for cooperation. In recent years, the two provinces have deepened cooperation in data services, new-energy vehicle exports, biomedicine, and cultural tourism and wellness, developing collaborative models such as “Changchun satellites + Hainan data services” “Changchun automobiles + Hainan overseas expansion” and “Changchun pharmaceuticals + Hainan special medical services.” The two sides will further expand cooperation in advanced manufacturing, the seed industry, modern agriculture, and cultural tourism and wellness.

The digital economy has emerged as a new growth area for Hainan. Leveraging policies supporting the secure and orderly cross-border flow of data, Hainan’s digital economy has generated more than CNY 100 billion in annual output. The province was also the first in China to launch a pilot programme for the overseas distribution of online games, with 692 games having been launched to date.

In institutional innovation, Hainan has developed 188 integrated institutional innovation cases across 23 batches. The province will continue to align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, further facilitate trade and investment, and build a transparent, stable and predictable business environment.

Cultural tourism cooperation was another highlight of the press conference. Chen Tiejun (Director General of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports of Hainan Province) said Hainan’s tropical coastal resources and Jilin’s ice and snow attractions were naturally complementary. The two sides will strengthen tourist exchanges, jointly develop tourism brands and promote cooperation in the film and television industries. They will also develop themed routes combining “ice and snow + warm winter,” “summer escape + wellness,” and “aviation + aerospace,” while jointly promoting the tourism brand of “Changchun in the north, Sanya in the south.”

In the fields of science and technology, Hainan and Jilin have established complementary cooperation models around “tropical seed breeding and northern cultivation” for the agriculture sector and “Made in Jilin, launched from Wenchang” for the aerospace sector. The two sides will further deepen cooperation in the seed industry, strengthen collaboration in commercial aerospace, and promote the application of aerospace data and cooperation across related industrial chains.

Hainan has continued to improve its business environment. The province has made 5,531 policies supporting businesses available online and introduced reforms allowing companies to receive eligible benefits without submitting applications. A total of CNY 11.8 billion in policy benefits has been delivered to businesses. The Hainan 12345 hotline handled 3.431 million valid requests, ranking among the nation’s top-performing hotlines for seven consecutive years in terms of operational quality, while the enterprise service representative system now covers more than 11,000 companies.

Sha Juan (deputy general director of the Hainan International Economic Development Bureau) said the Hainan Free Trade Port’s “zero-tariff” and “low-tax” policies, along with its cross-border financial measures, provide important support for companies seeking to expand overseas.

In recent years, Chengmai County has focused on supporting companies expanding overseas. The county now has 177 companies engaged in overseas business, contributing to foreign trade worth CNY 8.068 billion this year, up 45.9% year on year. Chengmai is developing a cooperation model linking “Jilin manufacturing, Hainan as a gateway, and overseas markets.”