BEIJING, July 23. /TASS/. The southern Chinese province of Hainan will transition to a new customs regime under the Free Trade Port framework starting December 18, Deputy Head of China’s National Development and Reform Commission Wang Changlin announced.
“As for the specific date of the transition of Hainan’s Free Trade Port to the new customs system, with the approval of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, it will officially take place on December 18,” he stated at a press conference in Beijing.
According to the official, the upcoming shift carries “significant symbolic importance” and “underscores China’s determination and confidence in advancing a higher level of openness on the global stage.” He noted that in the coming months, authorities will “intensify preparations” and “assist market entities in fully understanding the relevant strategy.”
China’s Vice Minister of Finance Liao Min clarified that following Hainan’s transition to the new customs framework, the list of duty-free goods will be “significantly expanded.” At present, the list includes around 1,900 items, but following the reform, it will comprise about 6,600 items. “That represents 74% of the entire product classification list – an increase of 53 percentage points compared to the pre-reform figure,” he emphasized, adding that the preferential treatment would extend “to virtually all enterprises, institutions, and private nonprofit organizations on the island that have a genuine need for imports.”
Furthermore, Wang Changlin assured that Hainan’s interaction “with the international community will become smoother and freer, and its connections with the mainland more convenient and efficient.” “At the current stage of the project,” he explained, “all individuals, goods, and vehicles entering or leaving the island will continue to be subject to regulation under existing rules. As before, anyone traveling to Hainan for business or leisure will not require additional documents.”
According to the official development plan, Hainan will adopt an offshore trade and economic model, prompting the province’s customs checkpoints to cease operations in their current form. The necessary infrastructure has already been established, and final adjustments to the new mechanism are underway. Residents of the island will be classified as part of a population under a special legal status, distinguishing them from those in other regions of mainland China.