Hainan Free Trade Port begins island-wide customs operation

• Hainan Free Trade Port launched island-wide customs operation on 18 December 2025. 海南自由贸易港于2025年12月18日启动全岛封关运作。
• The “zero-tariff” item ratio rose from 21% to 74%, covering about 6,600 tariff lines. “零关税”商品比例由21%升至74%，覆盖约6600个税目。
• A negative import-tax list and processing-value-added duty exemption underpin the free-port tax system. 进口征税商品负面清单与加工增值免关税政策构成自贸港税制支柱。
• In the first half-year, zero-tariff imports reached RMB 2.645 billion, up 120% year on year. 封关后半年内，零关税进口额达26.45亿元，同比增长120%。
• Newly registered foreign-invested enterprises rose 37.6% in the half-year after sealing. 封关后半年内，新设外资企业数量增长37.6%。

Hainan Free Trade Port begins island-wide customs operation | 海南自由贸易港启动全岛封关运作

On 18 December 2025, the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) officially launched island-wide customs operation (全岛封关运作), the single most significant milestone in China’s plan to build a customs-territory-within-a-territory free-trade port by 2025. The model — described domestically as “一线放开、二线管住” (open the first line, control the second line) — reconfigures how goods, people and capital move between Hainan and the rest of China (the “mainland”) and the outside world.

For foreign investors, the sealing is not a symbolic event. It materially changes tariff exposure, market-access economics and the operating model for businesses locating on the island.

What “island-wide customs operation” means

Under the FTP framework, Hainan is treated as a separate customs area once sealed:

• First line (一线): the boundary between Hainan and foreign countries/regions is liberalised. Goods entering Hainan from abroad generally face minimal customs intervention, subject to the zero-tariff positive list.
• Second line (二线): the boundary between Hainan and the Chinese mainland becomes the effective duty and tax frontier. Goods moving from Hainan into the mainland are subject to mainland tariffs and import links where they fall outside FTP exemptions.

This “front open, back controlled” design is what allows Hainan to run a zero-tariff regime internally while protecting the mainland customs union.

The zero-tariff expansion

The headline change is the sharp widening of the zero-tariff catalogue. The “zero-tariff” item ratio rose from 21% to 74%, now covering roughly 6,600 tariff lines. Tariff relief on the island is governed by two complementary mechanisms:

• an import-tax negative list (进口征税商品负面清单) — anything not on the list enters Hainan tariff-free;
• a processing-value-added duty exemption (加工增值免关税) — goods processed in Hainan with sufficient local value-added can enter the mainland tariff-free or at preferential treatment.

Together these create a genuinely low-friction import environment for manufacturers, traders and duty-sensitive consumer businesses.

Residents’ daily consumer-goods zero-tariff

Beyond the B2B and manufacturing story, the port extended benefits to island residents. On 11 February 2026, the policy allowing island residents’ daily consumer goods to be imported zero-tariff landed, with five stores opened to serve resident demand. This rounds out the FTP from an enterprise-facing incentive into a live consumer proposition, supporting retail, duty-free and lifestyle business models on the island.

Half-year scorecard

Six months after sealing, official data show the incentives are translating into real flows. For the period to 31 May 2026:

• Zero-tariff imports reached RMB 2.645 billion, up 120% year on year; corresponding duties waived totalled RMB 440 million, up 74.1%.
• Newly registered foreign-invested enterprises rose 37.6% versus the comparable pre-sealing period.
• Inbound travellers reached 1.385 million, up 31.8%; visa-free inbound arrivals rose 42.4%.

These figures, published by the General Administration of Customs and echoed in state media at the 100-day mark, indicate the port is attracting both capital and footfall ahead of the full 2025-targeted build-out.

What this means for foreign investors

The sealing makes Hainan a more compelling node for several strategies:

• Regional distribution and bonded value-add: import components tariff-free, process on the island, and leverage processing-value-added rules to reach the mainland.
• Consumer and duty-free retail: the resident daily-goods zero-tariff and the established tourist duty-free market reinforce Hainan as a consumption hub.
• Tourism and services: surging visa-free inbound traffic supports hospitality, medical-tourism and education-service plays.
• Manufacturing relocation: the widened zero-tariff list lowers input-cost exposure for eligible producers.

Investors should, however, plan around the second-line control: tariff benefits are realised on the island, and movements to the mainland remain subject to standard frontier treatment unless an exemption path (e.g. processing value-added) applies.

Practical checklist

1. Classify your goods against the zero-tariff positive list and the import-tax negative list before committing to a Hainan supply chain.
2. Model the second-line cost — tariff savings on the island do not automatically extend to mainland sales.
3. Evaluate the processing-value-added route for mainland-bound output.
4. Watch the store and resident-goods rollout if you target consumer retail.
5. Engage the Hainan investment-promotion channels early; FIE formation is accelerating and competition for sites/incentives is rising.

Related reading

• Hainan FTP negative list and market-access rules for foreign investment
• Processing value-added policy mechanics and mainland-entry thresholds
• China free-trade-zone versus free-trade-port comparison

Sources

• 中华人民共和国海关总署 — 封关运作半年成绩单（2026-06）
• 新华网 — 海南自贸港封关百日观察（2026-03）

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海南自由贸易港启动全岛封关运作

2025年12月18日，海南自由贸易港正式开启全岛封关运作，这是中国按计划于2025年建成“境内关外”自由贸易港进程中最为关键的里程碑。这一模式在国内概括为“一线放开、二线管住”，重新定义了货物、人员与资本在海南与中国其他区域（内地）及境外之间的流动方式。

对境外投资者而言，封关并非象征性事件。它实质性地改变了关税敞口、市场准入的经济性，以及在岛企业的运营模型。

“全岛封关运作”的含义

在自贸港框架之下，封关后的海南被视为独立的海关监管区域：

• 一线：海南与境外国家（地区）之间的边界放开。境外货物进入海南一般仅受零关税正面清单约束，海关干预最小化。
• 二线：海南与内地之间的边界成为实质上的税收与监管前沿。货物由海南进入内地，凡不属自贸港豁免范围的，须照章征收关税及进口环节税。

这种“前放开、后管住”的设计，使海南得以在岛内运行零关税制度，同时保护内地关税同盟。

零关税范围的扩大

最引人注目的变化是零关税清单的大幅扩容。“零关税”商品比例由21%升至74%，覆盖约6600个税目。岛上的关税减免由两项互补机制支撑：

• 进口征税商品负面清单——凡未列入清单的商品，进入海南免征关税；
• 加工增值免关税政策——在海南加工且具备足够本地增值的货物，进入内地可免征或享受优惠关税待遇。

二者共同为制造商、贸易商以及对关税敏感的消费类企业营造出低摩擦的进口环境。

岛内居民日用消费品零关税

除B2B与制造端之外，自贸港将红利延伸至岛内居民。2026年2月11日，允许岛内居民日用消费品零关税进口的政策落地，并开设5家门店服务居民需求。这使自贸港从面向企业的激励，扩展为切切实实的消费命题，支撑岛内的零售、免税及生活方式业态。

半年成绩单

封关半年后，官方数据显示激励正转化为真实流量。截至2026年5月31日的半年期内：

• 零关税进口额达26.45亿元，同比增长120%；相应免征关税4.40亿元，同比增长74.1%。
• 新设外资企业数量增长37.6%。
• 入岛旅客138.5万人次，同比增长31.8%；免签入境增长42.4%。

上述数据由海关总署发布，并在封关百日的官方报道中得到呼应，表明在2025年既定建设目标全面收官之前，自贸港已同时吸引资本与客流。

对外国投资者的意义

封关使海南在多条战略上更具吸引力：

• 区域分拨与保税增值：零关税进口零部件，在岛加工，并借助加工增值规则进入内地。
• 消费与免税零售：居民日用消费品零关税与既有旅游免税市场叠加，强化海南作为消费枢纽的地位。
• 旅游与服务：免签入境客流激增，支撑酒店、医疗旅游及教育服务等业态。
• 制造转移：扩容的零关税清单降低合规生产企业的投入成本敞口。

但投资者应围绕二线管住进行规划：关税红利在岛内实现，进入内地的货物流通仍按标准边境待遇执行，除非适用豁免路径（如加工增值）。

实务清单

1. 在落子海南供应链前，对照零关税正面清单与进口征税负面清单对商品进行归类。
2. 测算二线成本——岛内关税节省并不自动延伸至内销。
3. 评估面向内地出品的加工增值路径。
4. 若面向消费零售，关注门店与居民商品政策的推进节奏。
5. 尽早对接海南招商引资渠道；外资企业设立正在加速，对地块与政策的竞争趋于激烈。

延伸阅读

• 海南自贸港负面清单与外资市场准入规则
• 加工增值政策机制及入内地门槛
• 中国自贸试验区与自由贸易港对比