The Hainan Free Trade Port is emerging as a strategic bridge connecting China with global markets, officials and experts said at the 92nd International Forum on China Reform, held in Haikou over the weekend, as China advances institutional opening-up and economic integration across the Asia-Pacific.
The forum, themed "China in High-level Opening-up and Asia-Pacific Regional Economic Integration", brought together policymakers, business leaders and scholars, who agreed that Hainan should leverage its Free Trade Port policies and geographical advantages to become a major gateway for China's opening-up and international engagement.
Zhang Jianping, deputy director of the Academic Committee at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said Hainan is strategically located between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, two major emerging markets, and at the heart of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the world's largest free trade agreement.
Combined with its zero-tariff and low-tax policies, as well as 16 new measures to further liberalize and facilitate trade in the Hainan FTP, the island province is well-positioned to serve as a frontier for China's institutional opening-up and a window for deeper global engagement, he said.
Hainan Governor Liu Xiaoming said the FTP is unlocking policy benefits and becoming "a new frontier for China's opening-up, a new hot spot for regional cooperation and a new engine for economic globalization".
"Hainan stands ready to use its free trade port as a link to work with global partners, especially those in the Asia-Pacific," Liu said, calling for greater connectivity in infrastructure and rules, deeper market integration, innovation-driven cooperation and broader exchanges in trade, investment, digital services, tourism and people's livelihoods.
Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria, former executive director of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Secretariat, stressed that connectivity will be key to the success of the Hainan FTP.
"When you talk about a free trade port, it is not just the port itself; it is the integration with the rest of the economy," she said. "It is not just an island. It cannot be just an island. It has to be the bridge."
She urged Hainan to address non-tariff barriers, facilitate trade and investment, and attract talent to strengthen its competitiveness with both ASEAN economies and other domestic ports.
Zhang Junkuo, chairman of the China Development Research Foundation, called for leveraging the upgrading of the RCEP and the digital economy rules under the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area to advance data flow mechanisms and green standards.
Zhang Yunling, a member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and chair professor at Shandong University, urged Hainan to move beyond traditional development models and explore an artificial intelligence-led growth model.
"AI has two characteristics: creating things that never existed, and transforming traditional industries," he said.
He proposed developing what he called "practical chains" rather than conventional supply chains, focusing on targeted applications that can be implemented quickly and capitalize on Hainan's strengths.
Martin Mueller, honorary chairman of SwissCham and president of SwissCham South China, highlighted the upgraded China-Switzerland free trade agreement and said China had evolved from "the factory of the world" into a major research and development hub.
Some Swiss companies have relocated their Asia-Pacific headquarters to the Chinese mainland, attracted by its R&D capabilities and strong supply chains, he said.
Mueller identified biotechnology, research and development, manufacturing and tourism as promising areas for cooperation with Hainan, citing the FTP's favorable policies for manufacturers and researchers.
He said businesses based in Hainan could use the island as a springboard to access the wider Chinese market and neighboring Asian countries. Switzerland, with its strong tourism sector, could also share expertise and explore the establishment of joint ventures with Hainan, he added.
Liu Zhenmin, China's special envoy for climate change, outlined six steps to advance the energy transition in the Asia-Pacific, including stronger supply chain cooperation, cross-border electricity connectivity and clean energy collaboration. He said the Hainan FTP could serve as a platform for green projects and investment.
Chi Fulin, president of the Hainan Institute for Free Trade Port Studies, said China's open and innovative market offers significant opportunities for the world. Hainan should become a new frontier for China's proactive, unilateral opening-up while developing itself into an international tourism and consumption center, he said.
Reviewer 1: Huang Mengyao
Reviewer 2: Zhang Yanlan
Reviewer 3: Tang Caihong