Hainan: SiltaNews – News Desk
South China’s Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), the world’s largest FTP by area, reported smooth and orderly operations during the first month of island-wide special customs operations, as latest data showed the number of newly registered foreign trade enterprises in Hainan has risen by 5,132, underscoring the strong growth potential of the FTP.
According to Global Times report, As of Saturday, Haikou customs had supervised 7.5 billion yuan (US$1.05 billion) worth of zero-tariff goods at the “first line,” and 85.87 million yuan worth of goods processed in Hainan and sold to the mainland under the value-added tax exemption policy at the “second line.” For zero-tariff and bonded goods that do not involve licensing or inspection requirements, customs authorities have implemented direct release measures, streamlining import declaration items from 105 to 33, a move that has significantly improved customs clearance efficiency, the customs announced on Sunday.
China on 18th December 2025 launched island-wide special customs operations in Hainan FTP, allowing freer entry of overseas goods, expanding zero-tariff coverage and introducing more business-friendly measures. The first month of special customs operations in the Hainan FTP went largely as expected, showing positive trends, Li Yong, an executive council member of the China Society for WTO Studies, told the Global Times on Sunday. The increase in foreign trade enterprises and overall business entities indicates strong confidence in long-term investment and the business environment, reflecting clear and favorable assessments of relevant policies, Li said.
“The full-scale operations have effectively addressed business challenges and released the benefits of institutional openness, demonstrating that the Hainan FTP has significant and sustainable development potential, leveraging its policy advantages and access to a vast market amid global uncertainties,” he said. A representative of Jia Green Chocolate Works (Hainan) Co, a Canada-invested food processing company, told the Global Times that the duty-free processing and value-added policy of Hainan FTP in the chocolate industry is highly attractive in a very straightforward way.
Zhang Hui, chairman of Ausca International Oils and Grains Co. in Hainan, told the Global Times that the policies and geographic advantages of the FTP provide convenience for enterprises. Zhang anticipated that in the first and second quarters of 2026, the company will increase the procurement of imported agricultural products and expand in both the domestic and international markets. Benefiting from the policy dividends and the growing “magnet effect” of the greater opening-up brought by the FTP, more foreign trade enterprises have chosen to establish operations on the island. Over the past month, 5,132 new foreign trade enterprises were newly registered in Hainan Province, according to a post by the General Administration of Customs on Sunday.
The Hainan FTP has also attracted a rising number of travelers entering and exiting through the island’s ports. Haikou Customs processed 311,000 inbound and outbound travelers via Hainan’s airport ports, a 48.8% year-on-year increase, the announcement read. Alongside a new round of adjustments to the offshore duty-free policy, the number of duty-free product categories has expanded from 45 to 47, with newly added items including digital photography equipment and micro-drones, among other electronic products. The scope of eligible shoppers has been expanded to include travelers departing from the Hainan FTP.
As of Saturday, Haikou Customs had processed 48.6 billion yuan in offshore duty-free shopping sales, up 46.8% year-on-year. The number of duty-free shoppers reached 745,000, up 30.2%, while the total number of duty-free items purchased rose 14.6% to 3.49 million, official data showed. Li noted that the growth across various indicators in the past month showed that the “first-line” and “second-line” management logic of the Hainan FTP has been successfully implemented, and policy objectives have been achieved.