Published by Huanqiu.com

Time: 2025.12.18

On December 18, the 47th anniversary of the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Party was observed. Hainan Free Trade Port officially commenced closed management operations, carrying profound significance. As a model case of a free trade port with Chinese characteristics, Hainan is demonstrating China's firm commitment to expanding openness to the world through unprecedented openness and institutional innovation. Since the release of the Overall Plan for the Construction of Hainan Free Trade Port in June 2020, this land of reform has undergone an extraordinary journey. A series of groundbreaking policies, including zero tariffs, low tax rates and simplified tax systems, have been implemented successively, attracting global attention. The construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port is not only an important symbol of China’s new-era reform and opening-up, but also a key window for observing China’s overall high-level opening to the outside world.

In essence, the practice of the Hainan Free Trade Port is a systematic exploration of China’s effort to build a new, higher-level open economic system. From trade liberalization and facilitation to investment liberalization and facilitation, from the free flow of cross-border capital to the free movement of people, every aspect of liberalization and facilitation promoted by the Hainan Free Trade Port touches on the core issues of current global economic governance. This is not merely a superposition of preferential policies, but a pioneering experiment in institutional openness. As Yangpu Port experiences a leap in container throughput, headquarters economies and emerging industries gather at an accelerated pace, and international flight routes continue to expand, what we witness is not only Hainan’s transformation, but also a fresh outlook on China’s high-level opening-up to the outside world.

The development of the Hainan Free Trade Port is never an isolated endeavor, but a crucial part of China's comprehensive, multi-level and wide-ranging opening up drive. From the coast to the inland, from comprehensive bonded zones to pilot free trade zones, from the full implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to active participation in negotiations for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), China is integrating into the global economic system with unprecedented breadth and depth. Within this grand narrative, the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port represents the latest major initiative, tasked with pressure testing and institutional innovation, and its value is realized precisely through its interaction with the overall opening-up strategy.

“China's door to openness will not close, but only open wider.” This solemn commitment is backed by a clear roadmap and timetable. The upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan period is a crucial five years for China to embark on a new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, building on the achievement of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. During this period, China's opening-up will focus more on quality and efficiency, institutional innovation and alignment with international rules and the balance of development and security. The rapid advancement of the Hainan Free Trade Port at this point in time precisely reflects China's strategic determination to promote reform, development and innovation through openness. From this perspective, Hainan is not only piloting more open policies but also exploring how to safeguard national security and development interests amid a complex international landscape and how to hold the bottom line and fend off risks through institutional openness.

Against the complex global backdrop of a sluggish economic recovery, rising unilateralism and protectionism, the Hainan Free Trade Port stands as a shining symbol of China's opening-up. Its significance far transcends local economic growth, sending the world a clear signal of China's commitment to the right course of economic globalization. Over the years, China has taken concrete action to advance the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind-from enacting the Foreign Investment Law of the People's Republic of China and continuously trimming the negative list for foreign investment, to pursuing high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative and a global network of high-standard free trade.

As we look to the future from today’s vantage point, China’s high-standard opening-up has entered a new historical phase. This new phase is no longer merely about “bringing in” or “going global”, instead, it prioritizes mutual facilitation of domestic and international dual circulation, dynamic balance between openness and security, and the shared benefits from opening-up. The Hainan Free Trade Port’s exploration in opening up modern services, advancing the digital economy, and pursuing green and low-carbon transformation stand as a vivid embodiment of opening-up. In the past, we were clearing a room for guests, but now we are setting the table to host them. The successful experiences from these explorations will undoubtedly be replicated and promoted on a larger scale, injecting new momentum into the high-quality development of China’s economy.

General Secretary Xi Jinping observed with profound insight: “China will always be a key driver of global openness, a steady engine for world economic growth, a dynamic market for global business opportunities and an active contributor to global governance reform.” This is a commitment and more importantly, a course of action. Viewing China’s overall opening-up through Hainan, one sees the confidence of a nation and the responsibility of a major country.