On March 26, during the Boao Forum for Asia 2026 Annual Conference, Hainan held the “100-Day Press Conference on Customs Closure and Operation of Hainan Free Trade Port”.
At the press conference, the relevant person in charge introduced the 100-day customs closure operation of Hainan Free Trade Port. Various data showed that Hainan Free Trade Port is showing vigorous development vitality.
The implementation of the core policy of customs closure has achieved remarkable results.
Currently, the proportion of “zero-tariff” commodity tax items has increased significantly from 21% to 74%, reaching 6,631 items, which is higher than the starting level of RCEP.
In the 100 days since customs were closed, 7,503 new foreign trade companies have been registered, a year-on-year increase of 65.7%; a total of 11,773 business entities have been approved for “zero tariff” preferential qualifications.
The multi-functional free trade account (EF account) has been operating smoothly. Since the closure of the border, the business volume has reached 137.6 billion yuan, of which the cross-front-line fund transfers of the EF account exceeded 115.2 billion yuan, and the cross-second-tier fund transfers exceeded 22.4 billion yuan, which were 4 times and 2.7 times of the same period last year. Since the introduction of the policy, 990 EF accounts have been opened, with a business volume equivalent to more than 450 billion yuan, and fund transfers have occurred with 99 countries and regions.
The effect of the opening of “first-line ports” is very obvious.
With the implementation of policies such as “zero tariffs” on imported goods, relaxed trade management, and customs clearance facilitation, “front-line” ports have achieved rapid customs clearance, and the entry and exit of goods, people, and transportation vehicles has increased significantly.
In the 100 days since the customs were closed, foreign trade imports and exports exceeded 80 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 32.9%.
Among them, 186 businesses were launched under the “zero tariff” policy, mainly for petroleum crude oil, spodumene, analytical instruments, etc., with a total value of nearly 1.7 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 1.46 times, tax exemptions of 271 million yuan, an increase of 93.6%, and the average customs clearance time was reduced by 26%.
In terms of personnel, in the 100 days since the customs were closed, there have been 861,000 inbound and outbound passengers, an increase of 36.3%, of which 217,000 were visa-free entry, an increase of 54.2%.
In terms of transportation, there were 6,077 inbound and outbound flights, an increase of 30%, and 1,393 ships, an increase of 15.2%.
The traffic at the “second-tier port” is also stable and smooth.
The “second-tier port” operation and management measures were implemented smoothly, and there was no congestion in any regulatory channel, effectively ensuring the orderly connection between the domestic market and the Hainan Free Trade Port.
In the past 100 days since the customs were closed, 547 businesses have been opened under the tariff-free policy for processing value-added domestic sales, an increase of 26.6%, mainly natural latex, liquefied propane, pharmaceuticals, etc., with a total value of 314 million yuan, and tariff exemptions of 15.58 million yuan; new business scenarios such as the value of Hainan’s self-produced goods being included in the value-added part and processing value-added accumulation have all been implemented.
From the perspective of development momentum, in the 100 days since the customs were closed, the amount of duty-free sales on outlying islands was 15.6 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 27.6%; there were 85,000 new business entities, a year-on-year increase of 39.87%; and 70,100 new enterprises, a year-on-year increase of 90.8%.
The tourism industry has experienced explosive growth. During the Spring Festival this year, the province received 12.32 million tourists, a year-on-year increase of 14.6%, and the total tourist expenditure was 18.366 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 16.2%.
The vitality of cross-border trade and investment is also evident. Since the 100 days of border closure, a total of 737 new foreign-funded enterprises have been added, a year-on-year increase of 33.5%.
“China Yangpu Port” has 86 registered ships with a total tonnage of 4.6882 million tons. The total tonnage of international sailing ships ranks second in the country; there are 76 container liner routes and 76 overseas passenger routes; Hainan Free Trade Port has attracted investments from 180 countries and regions, 86 countries enjoy visa-free entry policies, and has established partnerships with 43 free trade zones (ports) around the world.
In general, the 100-day closure of the Hainan Free Trade Port has achieved remarkable results. In the future, it will go further and further on the road of open economy and contribute more to the economic development of China and the world.
