Hainan: Door's open, come on in

A view of the Haikou skyline from Evergreen Park in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province. (People's Daily Online/Wang Xiaoping)

On Dec. 18, 2025, the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) will begin island-wide special customs operations. This is more than a policy change. It is the next chapter in the story of south China's Hainan Province, an island that has spent years quietly transforming itself into one of the boldest experiments in opening up anywhere in the world. With these new operations, a new special supervision model will be implemented which has been described as "freer access at the first line, regulated access at the second line, and free flows within the island." But the implications extend far beyond logistics. It is a signal. A promise. A door being opened with purpose and confidence.

A month before this defining moment, I traveled across Hainan. From the bustling coastal cities to the quieter inland towns, I spoke with people from all walks of life: business executives, young entrepreneurs, students, professors, volunteers, returnees who came home after studying abroad, and foreign nationals who unexpectedly found themselves calling Hainan home. Their stories varied, yet all of them radiated the same sense of hope and expectation. Something big is beginning here. Something deliberate. Something that promises to shape the future.

Walking through the streets, I could feel momentum in the air. It is not just optimism. It is the early vibration before a wave rises. Hainan is alive with ambition, and the people here are not simply dreaming of the future; they are building it.

A view from Yangpu International Container Port in the Yangpu Economic Development Zone in Danzhou, south China's Hainan Province. (People's Daily Online/Michael Kurtagh)

Open for business

Hainan has long been described as tropical, relaxed, tourist-friendly, and peaceful. All of this is true. But beneath the beaches and palm trees, there is a thriving ecosystem of commerce, investment, and ambition. The island is ready for companies, both domestic and international, to take root and grow.

Professor Lin Guangming, a Singaporean, serves as the chief planner for the Yangpu Economic Development Zone, a pilot zone and demonstration area for the Hainan FTP, management committee and one of the designers of the Hainan Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences Yangpu campus. He explained how the upcoming special customs operations will accelerate development. "After Dec. 18, more companies will enjoy the benefits of new policies: tax incentives, smoother customs clearance, and better services and facilities for people and goods. These changes won't happen overnight, but they mark a positive milestone. Over time, more positive developments will follow."

An interview with Professor Lin Guangming, chief planner for the Yangpu Economic Development Zone management committee and designer of the Hainan Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences Yangpu campus in Danzhou, south China's Hainan Province. (People's Daily Online/Su Yingxiang)

Lin highlighted the broader impact on talent and education. "If more companies settle in Hainan, that means more job opportunities for our students after graduation. Faculty, especially those from overseas, will feel the convenience and improved services brought by these policies."

Jan Kerekes, founder of Haikou Quanliang International Trading Company Limited, shared his perspective as a foreign entrepreneur. "The changes are happening very fast and all in a positive direction. Visa-free entry is now possible and it's becoming far more accessible not only for tourists but also for businesses. Many companies have never heard of these policies, but there are real advantages. Hainan is a stepping stone to China. Setting up here makes entering the Chinese market much easier than starting directly in Shanghai or Beijing."

Hainan's business environment is more than incentives and logistics. It is about alignment: policy makers, academics, and enterprises working together to make the island a hub for innovation, trade, and global commerce. Lin described it simply: "The goal of these customs operations is to attract more companies and more global talent to settle here. Hainan wants to be a place where businesses can thrive, and where policy actively supports growth."

With the policies, infrastructure, and talent in place, Hainan is positioning itself as the perfect intermediary between the rest of the world and mainland China. It is an island where business opportunity meets global vision.

Helping hands

The upcoming special customs operations are not viewed just as a technical measure. They are only part of the puzzle to Hainan's current and future prospects as a hub for China's opening-up. The people of Hainan themselves may in fact be the true key, and talking with people who have made Hainan home, the human side of the island struck me again and again.

An interview with Amissah Richard Frank, an entrepreneur from Ghana, at the Haikou International Talent Community in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province. (People's Daily Online/Fu Wuping)

Amissah Richard Frank, an entrepreneur from Ghana, told me about the kindness he experienced. "One Chinese friend held my hand, took me to government offices, patent offices, helped me translate everything. He did it all for free. That is the heart of Hainan, real kindness. Hainan has given a lot to me. Hainan gave me a home when I was looking for one. It gave me friends when I was looking for them. If you gave me money to (leave Hainan), I wouldn't take it."

Marvis Ufomadu, a Nigerian native and recent graduate just starting her entrepreneurial journey, described the experience of integration. "In the past few months many foreigners have come here because of the FTP. If you are new, you will meet people who know what you need and guide you. I call this community a home to me now. I've been to many cities in Hainan, joined volunteer activities like teaching English, and it's something I never had before."

An interview with Slinko Nikita, a student from Kazakhstan studying at the Hainan Campus of Beijing Language and Culture University in Lingshui Li Autonmous County, south China's Hainan Province. (People's Daily Online/Zhao Jian)

And it's not just the businesspeople experiencing this amazing sense of warmth from locals. Slinko Nikita, a student from Kazakhstan studying at the Hainan Campus of Beijing Language and Culture University, when commenting on the locals said, "They're very, very kind. Even if we don't understand each other perfectly, we can still talk about anything. This place just makes people feel happy."

Whether it was officials, academics, or entrepreneurs, every person I met seemed ready to help newcomers integrate. That alignment of purpose creates a feeling of security, energy, and possibility that is hard to find elsewhere.

Looking to the future

After days of conversations and long drives through Hainan's landscapes, from its turquoise coastline to its forested interior, I realized the island is standing at a delicate yet powerful threshold. Delicate because beginnings always are. Powerful because the direction is clear and the commitment is unmistakable.

Hainan is more than a tropical paradise or a business hub. It is an ecosystem where policy, community, and ambition converge. It is where students learn in a German-Chinese integrated university and immediately apply their skills in real-world internships. It is where a Thai owned coffee company, with both imported and locally grown coffee, can benefit from new tax incentives, allowing companies and consumers to gain simultaneously. It is where free trade policies open doors for both small entrepreneurs and global corporations no matter their country of origin.

The Hainan FTP, in one word, is "opportunity." For individuals starting a company, for big corporations, for anyone.

The people, the landscape, the policies, and the ambition all converge. They create momentum. Hainan is no longer just an island; it is a threshold into the future.

But that future full of unlimited potential is only possible with global participation. The island is holding the door open, and a welcoming hand is already waiting for those who want to make Hainan's vision even more of a reality.

Something beautiful is being built in Hainan. Something meaningful. Something that will shape the future in ways we are only beginning to understand.

Don't just watch it happen. Step forward. Witness it. Take part. Hainan is ready for the world. The question is, are you ready to join in?