The State Council Information Office (SCIO) holds a press conference on the development of Hainan Free Trade Port in Beijing, capital of China, July 23, 2025. Wang Changlin, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, Liao Min, vice minister of finance, Yuan Xiaoming, assistant minister of commerce, Wang Lingjun, deputy head of the General Administration of Customs, Feng Fei, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Hainan provincial committee, and Liu Xiaoming, governor of Hainan Province, attended the press conference in Beijing on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Pan Xu)

BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- China's Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) will officially launch an island-wide independent customs operation on Dec. 18, 2025, as approved by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, an official with the country's top economic planner announced Wednesday.

The launch on this symbolic date, which marks the anniversary of the milestone Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee in 1978 that ushered in the reform and opening-up, underscores China's unwavering commitment to high-standard opening-up, Wang Changlin, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a press conference.

"The island-wide independent customs operation is a flagship move for the development of the Hainan FTP and a key measure to further expand opening-up," Wang said, calling it "a milestone" in China's opening-up efforts.

The proportion of tariff lines with zero-tariff products in the Hainan Free Trade Port will increase from 21 percent to 74 percent, Wang said, adding that imported products that undergo at least 30 percent value-added processing in Hainan can enter the mainland tariff-free. Certain goods currently banned or restricted nationwide will enjoy open policies in Hainan.

Vice Minister of Finance Liao Min noted that the number of duty-free items in Hainan will increase from about 1,900 to around 6,600, marking a significant boost in openness.

The scope of eligible beneficiaries will be significantly expanded to include enterprises, public institutions, and private non-enterprise entities in the FTP with actual import needs, according to Liao.

Once the independent customs operation begins, zero-tariff imports will be managed under a negative list, Liao added.

"We will take a targeted regulatory approach of low-intervention and high-efficiency for zero-tariff and relaxed management goods, ensuring smooth implementation of the opening-up policies," Wang said.

Yuan Xiaoming, an official with the Ministry of Commerce, said that the ministry, together with relevant departments, has issued a list specifying goods and articles prohibited or restricted from import and export in the Hainan FTP.

The list clearly and systematically outlines the full scope of goods and articles subject to current import and export prohibitions or restrictions, enabling businesses to understand regulatory boundaries easily, Yuan added.

Preparations on the policy front for the island-wide independent customs operation are already in place, said Feng Fei, secretary of the CPC Hainan provincial committee.

Wang stressed that the independent customs operation is intended to expand opening-up further and promote the high-quality development of the Hainan FTP. Following the launch, exchanges between Hainan and the international market will become smoother and more seamless. At the same time, travel for business or tourism to the island will remain unchanged, with no additional documents required.

In April 2018, China announced a decision to develop Hainan into a pilot free-trade zone while gradually exploring and steadily promoting the establishment of an FTP with Chinese characteristics. In June 2020, a master plan was unveiled to build the island into a globally influential and high-level FTP by the middle of the century.

Over the past five years, Hainan's foreign direct investment has recorded an average annual growth rate of 14.6 percent, while its goods and services trade have expanded by 31.3 percent and 32.3 percent annually, respectively. Meanwhile, its offshore duty-free sales have grown rapidly, accounting for over 8 percent of the global duty-free market.

The launch of the operation marks the beginning of a new stage in the opening-up and development of the Hainan FTP and will be followed by sustained policy implementation, Wang said, pledging further efforts to deepen reform, expand openness, and refine the FTP's policy framework to build Hainan into a key gateway for China's opening-up. ■