Hainan Free Trade Port: A witness to

China’s continued opening-up

從經(jīng)濟(jì)特區(qū)到自貿(mào)港 海南見證中國(guó)大門越開越大

Hainan, the southernmost island province of China, has been attracting people from around the world for years with its blue waters, towering coconut trees, year-round sunshine and sandy beaches. Starting this year, China will build an open and distinctive free trade port on this beautiful island.

海南是中國(guó)最南端的省份，以碧海、椰林、陽光沙灘，年復(fù)一年地吸引著來自世界各地的人們。從今年開始，中國(guó)將在這個(gè)美麗的海島，建設(shè)一個(gè)開放而富有特色的自由貿(mào)易港。

Sanya, Hainan province

The Hainan Free Trade Port will be a special functional economic area with the highest level of openness in the world. Overseas products and funds will have free access within the port, and the majority of goods will be exempt from tariffs. This move reflects China’s determination to further open up to the rest of the world. 

自由貿(mào)易港是目前全球開放水平最高的特殊經(jīng)濟(jì)功能區(qū)，在這里，境外貨物、資金可以自由進(jìn)出，絕大部分商品免征關(guān)稅。這是中國(guó)實(shí)施更深層次對(duì)外開放的舉措。

Sanya, Hainan province

Thirty-two years ago, the Chinese government established the province of Hainan on what was then a closed-off and underdeveloped border island. It was later designated as a special economic zone (SEZ) to attract foreign investment with its preferential tax rates and favorable business environment.

32年前，中國(guó)政府將這個(gè)在當(dāng)時(shí)尚且封閉落后的邊陲海島設(shè)立為海南省，并劃定海南為經(jīng)濟(jì)特區(qū)，通過實(shí)行優(yōu)惠稅率、提供良好投資環(huán)境來吸引外資。

1992年，海南設(shè)立了中國(guó)首個(gè)外資成片開發(fā)的洋浦經(jīng)濟(jì)開發(fā)區(qū)。

2000年，海南率先實(shí)行落地簽證政策；2001年，博鰲亞洲論壇永久落戶博鰲。

The Boao Forum for Asia International Conference Center in Boao, Hainan province [Source: Xinhua]

A series of initiatives like these have allowed Hainan to continue developing. Establishing special economic zones was also a breakthrough in China’s opening-up. 

一系列先試先行讓海南獲得了發(fā)展機(jī)遇，而興辦經(jīng)濟(jì)特區(qū)，也打開了中國(guó)對(duì)外開放的重要突破口。

Hainan is blessed with a picturesque landscape. Its industrial structure focused around tourism and modern services will not only become an advantage and characteristic for the Hainan Free Trade Port, but also coincide with the rapid trade growth in global services and are in line with the development of many ports toward the service sector. Besides, as a provincial level SEZ, a free trade zone and a port, Hainan enjoys its scale. It also has comprehensive experience and has made such institutional innovations as “province-wide one-stop business registration” and “an integrated big data society governance system.”

海南擁有美麗的自然風(fēng)光，以旅游業(yè)、現(xiàn)代服務(wù)業(yè)等為主導(dǎo)的產(chǎn)業(yè)結(jié)構(gòu)是海南自貿(mào)港的優(yōu)勢(shì)和特點(diǎn)，也符合全球服務(wù)貿(mào)易增長(zhǎng)迅速、大多數(shù)知名自由貿(mào)易港向服務(wù)貿(mào)易轉(zhuǎn)型升級(jí)的趨勢(shì)。另一方面，海南作為一個(gè)省級(jí)經(jīng)濟(jì)特區(qū)、自貿(mào)區(qū)、自貿(mào)港，有更廣泛的區(qū)域，也有著諸如商事登記“全省通辦”、“一體化大數(shù)據(jù)社會(huì)治理體系”等全域性、一體化的制度經(jīng)驗(yàn)和創(chuàng)新。

The e-government data platform of Hainan Province [Source: Hainan Big Data Administration]

All these factors will enable Hainan to become a global center for the trade in services. Meanwhile, as a pivot of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Hainan Free Trade Port will not only promote multilateral free trade and regional economic integration, but also share the benefits brought from China’s development with more countries.

這些讓海南有條件在未來成為面向全球的服務(wù)貿(mào)易中心。而作為“一帶一路”倡議的支點(diǎn)，海南自貿(mào)港不僅將促進(jìn)多邊自由貿(mào)易和區(qū)域經(jīng)濟(jì)一體化，也會(huì)讓更多國(guó)家分享中國(guó)發(fā)展的紅利。

Hainan’s evolution from special economic zone to free trade pilot zone, and now today’s free trade port, not only bears witness to its development, but also the continual opening-up of China, as well as its determination to build an open global economy featuring innovation and inclusiveness. We hope that in the future, more companies and talented personnel from around the world will come to the island and share in the benefits of free trade.

從經(jīng)濟(jì)特區(qū)到自由貿(mào)易試驗(yàn)區(qū)，再到自由貿(mào)易港，這不僅僅是海南的發(fā)展歷程，也見證了中國(guó)不斷深化對(duì)外開放，推動(dòng)建設(shè)創(chuàng)新、包容的開放型世界經(jīng)濟(jì)的決心。未來，我們希望各國(guó)的企業(yè)、人才來到海南，共享自由貿(mào)易的福祉。