China News Service, Haikou, October 19 (Reporter Wang Xiaobin) Bao Shujun, Director and Researcher of the External Liaison Office of the International Cooperation Center of the National Development and Reform Commission, said in Haikou on the 18th that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, the National Development and Reform Commission will place institutional integration and innovation in a prominent position, promote the island-wide customs sealing operation of the Hainan Free Trade Port at a high level, promote the implementation of various policies in an orderly manner, continue to consolidate the foundation for industrial development, and strive to optimize the economic development environment.
On the same day, the launch meeting and briefing session of the 2026 "Vibrant China Research Tour" Hainan theme interview event was held in Haikou. Bao Shujun came to the meeting to introduce the positive results of the Hainan Free Trade Port's customs sealing operation and the specific measures to support the high-level promotion of island-wide customs sealing operations during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.
On December 18, 2025, the Hainan Free Trade Port officially launched island-wide customs closure. Bao Shujun said that since the closure of the customs, the overall operation of the Hainan Free Trade Port has been stable and orderly, with convenient and efficient port access, various policies have been implemented smoothly, and the flow of people, logistics, and capital has continued to increase, and positive results have been achieved.
In Bao Shujun’s view, the positive results of the Hainan Free Trade Port’s customs closure operations are embodied in: First, port access is convenient and efficient. The eight ports open to the outside world have smooth entry and exit, and the 10 "second-tier ports" are operating well. There are no long-term congestion and detention during peak passenger flow periods such as the Spring Festival and National Day. From the start of the customs closure to September 17, 2026, there were 2.156 million inbound and outbound passengers, a year-on-year increase of 24%.
Second, the customs closure policy was implemented smoothly. From the launch of the customs closure to September 17, 2026, the "zero tariff" policy for imported goods has achieved a total value of 4.25 billion yuan in imported goods, with a tax exemption of 710 million yuan; the domestic sales of processed value-added goods without tariffs has achieved a domestic sales value of 880 million yuan (RMB, the same below), with a tax exemption of 51.988 million yuan; the relaxation of trade management measures has completed 34 bonded repairs and canceled import license management services.
Third, market vitality continues to increase. From the start of the customs closure to September 17, 2026, there were 186,000 newly registered companies, a year-on-year increase of 79.7%, and newly added foreign-invested companies and customs-registered foreign trade companies increased by 32.2% and 125% year-on-year respectively; duty-free shopping sales for tourists from outlying islands were 26.57 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15.8%; cross-border revenue and expenditure increased significantly, totaling US$86.03 billion in the first eight months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 21.3%.
As Hainan's island-wide customs closure operation enters the stage of normal operation, how to support Hainan to give full play to its advantages of opening up and release the integrated innovation efficiency of the free trade port system? Bao Shujun proposed to steadily implement the island-wide customs closure operation and solidly promote the implementation of various policies to provide strong support for the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port.
In terms of "supporting Hainan to accelerate the consolidation of its industrial foundation", Bao Shujun pointed out that Hainan should give full play to its unique advantages such as geographical location, climate, and ocean, support the introduction and cultivation of business entities that adapt to the free trade port policy, expand and strengthen characteristic advantageous industries such as seed industry, deep sea, and aerospace, and continue to enhance endogenous development momentum.
In terms of “strengthening the support of high-level talents”, Bao Shujun emphasized that Hainan should be supported in building a more open talent mechanism, promote the introduction of more convenient entry-exit and stay-and-residency policies, and actively introduce high-quality professional talents suitable for customs closure operations.
Bao Shujun also expressed her support for "pragmatic economic and trade cooperation" and expressed support for Hainan to strengthen industrial cooperation with Southeast Asian countries in bonded maintenance, aviation logistics, tropical agricultural product processing and other fields, deepen the development of major strategic linkages with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and actively promote the construction of interconnection projects such as the Zhanhai High-speed Railway and the international submarine optical cable. (over)
