Hainan FTP ready for island-wide independent customs operation(1/5)

Overseas media representatives visit Hainan Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences in Yangpu Economic Development Zone, south China’s Hainan Province, Nov. 12, 2025. The university is the first independently run overseas higher-education institution in China and the first German public university established on the Chinese mainland. (Photo: China News Service/Luo Yunfei)

China's Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) will officially launch an island-wide independent customs operation on Dec. 18, 2025.

Over the past seven years, the FTP has made steady progress, positioning Hainan as China’s new frontier of opening-up, a hub for regional cooperation, and a new engine for global economic growth.

Hainan Airlines’ first A330neo aircraft passes through a water salute at Haikou Meilan International Airport, Nov. 1, 2025.(File photo: China News Service/Luo Yunfei)

The aircraft benefited from the FTP’s zero-tariff policy for transportation vehicles, enjoying tax reductions of about 114 million yuan, a record-high for a single order.

Chinese movie star Jackie Chan attends the red carpet ceremony at the closing event of the first Hainan Island International Film Festival in Sanya, Dec. 16, 2018. (Photo: China News Service/Luo Yunfei)

A container vessel sails along Hainan Free Trade Port’s first intercontinental shipping route, Sept. 28, 2020.(File photo: China News Service/Luo Yunfei)

The Yangpu?South Pacific?Australia route marked Hainan’s first intercontinental shipping line, filling maritime route gaps with the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Guests and crew members pose for a group photo after KR9755 flight operated by Cambodia Airways arrives in Sanya from Phnom Penh, Dec. 1, 2023.(File photo: China News Service/Luo Yunfei)

This marked the opening of Hainan Free Trade Port’s first regular fifth-freedom passenger air route.