Hainan entered 2026 in a mode that China usually tests precisely and accurately. Since December 18, 2025, the "open first line, controlled second line, free trade throughout the island" scheme has been launched throughout the territory of the free trade port. For businesses, this means more predictable logistics at the entrance and a tightly defined control zone at the exit to mainland China. For carriers and importers, one thing is most important: the rules are now described as a single outline, rather than a set of local exceptions.
In just over 100 days, the foreign trade of the Hainan Free Trade Port increased by 32.9% year-on-year, and the flow of visa-free arrivals increased by more than 54%. The scale of the effect was supported by the aviation network and the expansion of the list of countries. Currently, Hainan has a visa-free regime for citizens of 86 countries, and routes stretch to Asia, Europe and Oceania.
Liao Yitin, deputy head of the department for the development of free trade zones and special zones of the Haikou Customs Administration, directly described the logic of the contour: the first line is responsible for communication with foreign markets, the second line separates the island from the mainland. At the same time, according to her, "The regime of independent customs operations has provided a higher level of openness."
In tourism, Hainan relies on convenient entry and on-site service.
Zheng Peng, Deputy Director of the International Rehabilitation Center at the Sanya City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, noted: "Now it has become much more convenient for tourists to come to Hainan, using the possibility of visa-free transit through other cities in China." At the same time, ostrov has boosted the economy of shopping: the expansion of the list of duty free and the audience allowed to benefits has spurred demand. The emotion of the market is best conveyed by the words of a tourist from Russia: "This mall is just great! There are a lot of products that I've wanted to buy for a long time, and the prices are lower."
For foreign economic activity and industrial cooperation, something else is more important than showcase sales: Hainan is increasingly becoming a platform where rules are being set up for companies going abroad and for foreign players who enter China through the island. Alexey Maslov, Director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University, outlined the status of the project as follows: "China has quite a lot of experience in creating special economic zones. Hainan is a concentration of experience. This is an experimental zone not only for China, but for the whole of Asia, especially East and Southeast Asia."
The island's authorities are precisely changing the norms for the industry. In the yacht segment, the operating parameters were expanded and the modes were simplified, which quickly reflected the interest of the operators. Cui Yumin, Head of the Cruise Tourism and Yachting Department of the Sanya Central Business District, emphasized: "Key free Trade parks fulfill the task of institutional innovation and pilot projects. In 2025, a breakthrough was made on the yacht crew limit. This significantly stimulates the development of the yachting industry in Sanya."
A separate line is digital services and the export of services. CEO of Hainan Overseas Information Technology Co., Ltd. Liu Tianyuan said, "We are creating a comprehensive platform for gaming companies to enter foreign markets, relying on Hainan data centers and special international data transmission channels." For cross-border projects, this is a signal that the island is selling not only benefits for goods, but also infrastructure for exporting data and services.
In this story, the Russian contour appears as a practical niche for joint applied projects. Alexey Maslov formulated the task as bluntly as possible: "Investment cooperation between Russia and China does not yet correspond to the high level of political relations, and Hainan should become the platform that fills this gap." He also clarified that the focus could be joint zones and laboratories, where the result would be patenting and bringing technologies to the markets of Russia, China and third countries. For companies that work with the BRICS agenda, this can become an entry point into Chinese value chains through an understandable legal experiment.
At the level of foreign policy signals, Beijing emphasizes that the policy of openness remains.
Alexey Maslov described the perception of Hainan in a turbulent global environment as follows: "At the moment, the world is going through one of its most difficult phases of development. Hainan is just one of these islands of stability. China acts as the only party that talks about real freedom of trade, real circulation of goods."
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on December 23, 2025: "The Hainan Free Trade Port will become an important gateway for China's high level of openness." And he added, "Despite the growing global uncertainty, China is determined to expand openness, share development opportunities, and foster a more open global economy."
The practical conclusion for the transportation and foreign economic activity market is simple: Hainan accelerates turnover and simplifies the first line, which means that those who pre-arrange routes, contract structure and compliance for the "second line" of control benefit. For Russian participants in foreign trade, this is also a reason to look at the island as a platform for technological cooperation, where rules are written in pilot mode and quickly consolidated into working regulations.
