The Year of the Dragon is off to a good start in Hainan. On February 25, the first order placed for zero-tariff boron neutron equipment in the Hainan Free Trade Port’s Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone completed customs clearance. The order was valued at 150 million yuan, with tax reductions and exemptions saving the importing company nearly 19 million yuan.

The "new home" of this equipment is the Boron Neutron Hospital in Lecheng. The main structure of the hospital is fully completed and construction is accelerating with an investment of 500 million yuan and a total construction area of about 14,000 square meters. The hospital will install the boron neutron equipment after construction is completed, and is expected to start operating and receiving patients in late 2024 to early 2025.

An aerial photo shows Hainan's Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in south China's Hainan Province. (Photo by Meng Zhongde / Hainan Daily)

Boron neutron capture therapy is an innovative radiotherapy technology. Thanks to Lecheng’s policy advantages, this will be the first boron neutron facility to open outside the technology’s country of origin, truly achieving the synchronization of domestic medical technology and equipment meeting top international standards.

Huang Yu, chief of the supervision department of Boao Airport Customs, said that the shipment arrived in Hainan during the Spring Festival holiday, and the company was concerned about delays in customs clearance and the possibility of expensive port demurrage (storage) fees.

The Customs Office provides point-to-point services along with guidance for companies hoping to make the most of the FTP's zero tariff policies, formulating   service guarantee plans and supervising goods traveling between the port and destination, ensuring effective customs clearance for companies importing products to Hainan.