China Customs has released one of the strongest sets of trade figures Hainan has reported since island-wide special customs operations began.

Companies registered in Hainan exported RMB 22.23 billion of goods to ten ASEAN markets during the first half of 2026, almost three times the value recorded a year earlier. Exports increased 185.8%, while imports from the same markets fell 6.8%, reversing a RMB 3.19 billion trade deficit into a RMB 12.01 billion surplus.

Two-way trade with the ten ASEAN countries reached RMB 32.45 billion, up 73.1% compared with the same period last year. ASEAN also became a larger part of Hainan's overall foreign trade, with its share of total provincial trade rising from 15.38% to 16.65%.

One point is worth noting. These figures measure trade declared by companies registered in Hainan, not necessarily goods manufactured on the island. Some exports originated from Hainan factories and farms, while others were handled by trading companies using Hainan as their registered base.

Hainan's foreign-trade business community has also expanded rapidly since island-wide special customs operations began on 18 December 2025. Xinhua reported that 7,503 foreign-trade enterprises registered in Hainan during the first 100 days of the new customs regime, 65.7% more than during the comparable period.

The figures themselves do not explain why exports accelerated so quickly. Increased company registrations, stronger regional demand, expanded shipping capacity and Hainan's new customs arrangements may all have contributed. What they do show is that Hainan-based companies declared far more outbound trade than they did one year earlier.

Exports drove the change

One result stands out immediately.

Hainan's trade with the ten ASEAN markets increased by RMB 13.71 billion during the first half of the year. Exports alone increased by RMB 14.45 billion, while imports declined by RMB 746 million. Without the surge in exports, overall trade would have looked very different.

In H1 2025, imports exceeded exports. By H1 2026, exports were worth 2.18 times the value of imports.

Trade with the ten ASEAN markets also accounted for 18.8% of the RMB 73.05 billion increase in Hainan's overall foreign trade. Southeast Asia therefore became a larger component of Hainan's external trade rather than simply benefiting from rising trade volumes across the board.

Growth reached every ASEAN market

Vietnam remained Hainan's largest export destination within ASEAN, receiving RMB 6.08 billion of goods during the first half of 2026. Indonesia followed with RMB 3.04 billion, while exports to the Philippines reached RMB 3 billion. Malaysia and Thailand also recorded particularly strong growth.

The figures also show that growth was not concentrated in one or two destinations. Every ASEAN market imported more from Hainan-registered companies than it did a year earlier. The five largest markets accounted for about 79.3% of export value, while Vietnam and Indonesia together represented almost half of total trade with the ten-country group.

For businesses looking at Southeast Asia, the figures point to two distinct opportunities. Vietnam and Indonesia remain the largest established markets, while Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Brunei continue to grow from much smaller bases.

Customs has not yet published a product breakdown for the additional RMB 14.45 billion in exports, so it remains unclear which industries accounted for the largest gains. The figures confirm that exports increased across all ten markets, but not whether that growth was spread across a broader range of products.

Form E certificates expanded alongside exports

Haikou Customs issued 1,706 Form E certificates during the first half of 2026, covering RMB 1.957 billion of exports under the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement. Certificate numbers increased 20.06% compared with a year earlier, while the value of goods covered increased 60.44%.

Haikou Customs identified rubber and latex products, processed tropical fruit and vegetables, pulp and construction materials among Hainan's principal export categories using the agreement.

Form E certificates allow qualifying goods to receive preferential tariff treatment when entering participating ASEAN markets. The commercial benefit depends on the product, destination-country tariff and the applicable rules of origin.

Hainan Zhongxin Chemical Co., Ltd. obtained 52 China-ASEAN certificates of origin during the first half of the year. According to Haikou Customs, the certificates covered more than RMB 13.3 million of exports and reduced destination-country tariffs by more than RMB 660,000. A company customs manager said the fastest applications took only a few minutes from submission to receipt.

Form E certificates covered RMB 1.957 billion of exports during H1 2026, equivalent to about 8.8% of exports to the ten ASEAN markets. The comparable figure for H1 2025 was approximately 15.7%.

The lower share does not mean Form E exports declined. The value of goods covered by Form E certificates increased 60.44% over the year, but total exports to the ten ASEAN markets grew even faster, reducing Form E's share of overall exports.

Haikou Customs also said the number of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) certificates issued during the first half of the year increased rapidly, although it did not publish detailed figures.

For customs brokers, freight forwarders, banks, insurers and logistics providers, the implications extend beyond Form E certificates. Higher export volumes generally create additional demand for customs clearance, shipping, trade finance, cargo insurance and distribution services regardless of which tariff preference individual shipments use.

Questions the figures cannot yet answer

The headline numbers are impressive, but they also leave important questions unanswered.

China Customs has not yet published a detailed breakdown showing which products generated most of the RMB 14.45 billion increase in exports, how much came from manufacturing within Hainan, or how much was handled by newly established trading companies using the province as their registration base.

Those details will determine whether the first-half performance reflects an initial adjustment following island-wide special customs operations or the beginning of a more durable expansion in Hainan's role within regional supply chains.

What is already clear is that Hainan's trade relationship with ASEAN changed significantly in just one year. Every ASEAN market recorded higher imports from Hainan-registered companies, Southeast Asia accounted for a larger share of the province's external trade, and the regional balance shifted from a RMB 3.19 billion deficit to a RMB 12.01 billion surplus.

I'd be interested to hear from forum members working in manufacturing, logistics, customs, freight forwarding or international trade. Are these figures reflected in what you're seeing on the ground, or are they ahead of current business conditions?

You can read the full article HERE

Last weekend I visit Wangfujing Yuewu Town in Wanning (王府井悦舞小镇, before is called Capital Outlets). This is the first and largest outlet mall in Hainan, many international brands like Gucci, Prada, Armani, GAP, Kiehl's, Tommy Hilfiger.

Now is off season, so discount is very good, everything is sale up to 40% off. One thing to explain for foreign friends: in China the sign says 6折, this does not mean 60% off haha. It means you pay 60% of original price. First time can be confusing, so please remember.

The mall is almost empty now, so shopping experience is very comfortable, no queue, staff has time to help you.

There is also duty free section, but that one has rules: local ID card holders who left the island in past 12 months, or tourists with airline ticket. However, some normal shops there also sell cosmetics at sale price, no ticket needed, so still worth to look.

How to go: take high speed train from Haikou East to Wanning station, then short taxi to the outlets. Or just type 兴隆免税店(王府井悦舞小镇店) in Didi.

Anyone went there before? Welcome to ask me anything.

Hainan’s new tourism plan is not only about attracting more visitors. It shows where the province intends to concentrate infrastructure, policy support and investment through 2030.

The targets include more than 120 inbound passenger routes, 3.5 million recorded inbound visitor trips, offshore duty-free sales above RMB 50 billion and two million medical-tourism visits. All 16 indicators are classified as 预期性, meaning indicative rather than binding. They show provincial direction, not guaranteed commercial outcomes.

For investors, the more important question is not whether the targets will be reached exactly. It is which sectors already have functioning market-access rules, and which still depend on further approvals from provincial or central authorities.

Hainan wants a larger international market

The province is targeting an increase in total visitor trips from 106.07 million in 2025 to 154 million in 2030. Tourist spending is targeted to rise from RMB 225.4 billion to RMB 363 billion.

Inbound visitor trips are targeted to increase from 1.5 million to 3.5 million, while inbound spending is targeted to rise from US$1.01 billion to US$2.485 billion.

The 1.5 million baseline does not mean Hainan received 1.5 million foreign holidaymakers. The official 入境游客人次, or inbound visitor person-trips, category includes foreign nationals and visitors from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. It counts trips rather than unique travellers, so repeat visitors can be counted more than once.

The plan separately records 608,000 visa-free foreign-national entries in 2025 and targets more than one million by 2030. It also aims to increase inbound overnight visitor-days from 5.94 million to 17.5 million.

Aviation is central to the strategy. Hainan wants inbound passenger routes to increase from 92 to more than 120, with the number of connected overseas cities rising from 43 to more than 60. For airlines, hotels, destination-management companies and visitor-service providers, these targets describe the market the province wants to build. They do not guarantee that the routes or passenger volumes will materialise.

Different parts of Hainan are being assigned different roles

Haikou and Sanya remain the two core international tourism consumption centres. The plan assigns more specialised functions to six other areas.

Danzhou is positioned around culture and entertainment, Boao Lecheng around medical tourism, Lingshui Li’an around international education, Wanning around sports, Wenchang around aerospace tourism and the tropical rainforest areas around ecological and ethnic-cultural tourism.

The accompanying project schedule includes cruise facilities in Haikou, Sanya and Danzhou, the third phase of Sanya International Duty Free City, aerospace tourism infrastructure in Wenchang, education expansion at Lingshui Li’an and international medical institutions under preparation.

This creates a clearer location strategy for investors. International aviation and large events remain concentrated around Haikou and Sanya. Medical services are tied mainly to Lecheng. International education is centred on Li’an, while aerospace tourism is linked to Wenchang.

The project list is not a completion schedule. It shows where Hainan intends to direct infrastructure development, investment promotion and policy attention.

Duty-free growth depends partly on further policy decisions

Hainan is targeting offshore duty-free sales above RMB 50 billion by 2030, compared with a planning baseline of RMB 30.38 billion in 2025.

The current national policy is already operational. Revised rules took effect on November 1, 2025, expanding the product list from 45 to 47 categories, retaining the RMB 100,000 annual allowance and extending eligibility to travellers leaving Hainan directly for destinations outside mainland China.

The plan also seeks additional product categories, more high-end and limited-release goods, further operating locations and a broader duty-free consumer-goods system for island residents.

The word used is 争取, meaning to seek or strive for. These measures still require separate policy decisions and should not be treated as existing market access.

Healthcare combines an existing opening with further ambition

Medical-tourism visits are targeted to rise from 865,300 in 2025 to two million in 2030, with the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone remaining the main platform for that growth.

Foreign investors already have a route to establish wholly foreign-owned hospitals in Hainan under a national pilot introduced in 2024. Eligible institutions include general, specialist and rehabilitation hospitals, but they must meet tertiary, or Level III, standards and obtain individual approval.

Traditional Chinese medicine hospitals, public-hospital acquisitions and several higher-risk clinical activities are excluded. Mainland-Chinese personnel must make up at least half of both hospital management and health-professional staff.

The tourism plan says Hainan will seek a further expansion of this pilot. It also identifies three contracted international hospitals under preparation and proposes wider use of international commercial insurance. The plan does not specify what additional expansion the province wants approved.

For hospital groups, the current entry route is the existing national pilot. For insurers, medical concierge businesses, translation providers, accommodation operators and patient-support companies, the opportunity depends more directly on whether Lecheng delivers the patient growth in the plan.

International education remains approval-led

Hainan wants the number of independent universities and Sino-foreign cooperative institutions or programmes to rise from 34 in 2025 to 55 by 2030. It also targets a total scale of 50,000 students, staff and training participants at Lingshui Li’an.

Rules issued in 2023 already allow qualifying overseas universities and vocational institutions to establish science, engineering, agriculture and medical schools or campuses in the Hainan Free Trade Port. Each institution still requires approval, and the framework does not provide unrestricted access across all academic disciplines.

The commercial opportunity extends beyond universities. International student services, accommodation, training, research exchanges, education technology and professional services could all benefit if the planned institutions and enrolment targets materialise.

The key distinction for investors

The opportunities in the plan fall broadly into two groups.

Demand-led businesses need Hainan to deliver more passengers, longer stays and higher spending. These include hotels, tourism services, events, medical concierge companies, payment providers, translation services and travel-technology businesses.

Approval-led businesses need a licence, policy change or institutional decision before they can enter or expand. These include duty-free operators, foreign hospital groups and overseas universities.

The two categories overlap, but the practical question is which constraint comes first. A hotel needs customers. A hospital needs approval. A university needs both approval and students.

Hainan’s plan does not prove that the 2030 market will arrive. It shows where the province intends to build it, and which sectors investors should watch for operating data, project delivery and new implementation measures.

Read the full analysis here: Hainan’s 2030 Tourism Plan Maps Growth in Aviation, Duty-Free, Healthcare and Education

Perhaps the best scene from Sanya this month did not happen at a beach resort. It happened in a school music room, where an American teacher named Dallas, fourteen years into playing the guqin, was showing a group of Italian teenagers how to pluck the seven strings of one of China’s oldest musical traditions, long associated with scholars and the literati.

An American, teaching Chinese classical music, to Italians, on a tropical island. If you wanted one image of what Hainan is quietly becoming, this might be it.

Two weeks, twenty seven Italian students on a tropical Island

The students, 27 of them aged 13 to 18 plus three teachers, arrived at the Shanghai International Studies University Sanya Affiliated Middle School on 2 July for a two week exchange supported by the Hainan Provincial Foreign Affairs Office and organised by the school together with the Hainan branch of China News Service (Beijing) International Communication Group. The school covers accommodation, meals and local transport, so for participating families in Italy, the whole thing costs little more than the flights.

The programme covers a lot of ground in two weeks. On the first full day they painted cherries in ink on rice paper, most of them holding a Chinese brush for the first time.

Then came paper cutting and hanfu, trying on robes from the Wei, Tang and Ming dynasties alongside Li and Miao dress from here in Hainan.

On 6 July they went out into the city: Tianya Haijiao, Luhuitou at sunset, and a Li culture park where an elderly Li weaver demonstrated brocade work that UNESCO lists as intangible cultural heritage.

The students tried the bamboo pole dance, used newly learned Mandarin to ask the price of coconuts, and discovered wampee fruit dipped in salt, which by all accounts converted most of the group on the spot.

Then came lion dancing, with a lion head weighing about two kilos, which feels light enough until it has been held overhead through a full round of footwork. The students learned the basic steps first, then took turns under the head, making it rear and blink in the mirrored dance studio.

Why Italy keeps coming back

This is not a one off. The connection between Sanya and Tuscany goes back more than a decade, and it started, of all places, in the yacht industry. Sanya’s Visun Group and yacht-industry partners from Tuscany launched a joint yacht repair and refit venture in 2013, the two cities became official sister cities in 2015, and when SYFLS opened in 2020 it built its own partnership with schools in Arezzo. Around sixty Italian students and teachers came for a similar programme in 2024. This summer's group is the second confirmed cohort.

The group is due to complete the programme on 14 July. Since leaving the Sanya classrooms, the students have also visited Haikou and Wuzhishan, including Qilou Old Street, the Wuzhishan rainforest and Maona village.

You do not need an office to register a company in Hainan. Plenty of new arrivals still sign a lease before they incorporate, because that is how it works almost everywhere else in China. In Hainan it is an avoidable cost, and for a lean startup it is often the single largest one.

What the policy actually is

Hainan allows designated shared office spaces, known as centralized office zones, to serve as the officially registered address for multiple companies at once. These are typically located inside industrial parks or other designated areas, and they exist specifically so that startups and small companies can register without holding an exclusive address of their own.

How a space becomes a legal registered address

Not every co-working space or serviced office qualifies. The process runs in three stages:

1. A government body or park management agency designates a specific location as a centralized office zone. The space has to meet legal requirements before it gets that status.
2. The administrative unit managing the space files it with the local market supervision department. That filing includes proof the space is fixed and permanent, agreements setting out how businesses can use it, and a formal set of operating rules.
3. Once approved, the space is listed on the Hainan government website. Only at that point can companies register against it.

How you register against one

Companies select an approved shared address inside the Hainan e-Registration online system. The organization managing the space then confirms the registration on your behalf. The government supervises and inspects these zones on an ongoing basis, so the address remains a compliant one, not a workaround.

The rule: only government-approved centralized office zones qualify.

Accessing the Hainan e-Registration system

Go to the Hainan e-Registration portal. If you already have an account, log in with your credentials. If not, you can register directly on the site using Alipay or WeChat, or through the Haiyiban (海易办) app.

The Haiyiban app is the smoothest route for most people. Download it from your app store (Android and iOS both available), then use it to scan the QR code on the e-Registration website for quick login. New users provide personal or business details during setup and follow the prompts.

If you hit a wall, technical support is on 0898-60827008 or 4007965656.

Why this matters more after customs closure

With the island-wide customs closure in effect since December 2025, registration volume in Hainan is climbing and address requirements are one of the first practical questions every new entrant faces. A compliant shared address gets you incorporated fast and cheap. Just keep one thing in view: if you are planning to claim the 15% corporate tax rate, the substantive operations requirement still applies, and a registered address alone will not satisfy it. Plan your real operational footprint separately.

Has anyone here registered through a centralized office zone recently? Interested to hear which parks are actually confirming registrations ...

I am local Hainanese, 26 years old, born in Wenchang. You maybe know Wenchang for the rocket launch, but for us it is famous for coconuts. My grandmother village is near Dongjiao, so many coconut trees there, that is why I choose this name.

Now I live in Haikou for work, but every weekend I like to travel around the island with my small motorbike, take some photos, eat some local food. I see this forum has many foreign friends interested in Hainan, so I think maybe I can share some places I know. My photos are from phone only, sorry, real place is always more beautiful haha.

If you have question about local places or food, welcome to ask me. Very happy to meet you all.

Hey there! If you have a pet, we'd love for you to be a part of our Haikou Paw-Parent Groups.

These groups are a great way to connect with fellow pet lovers and get access to helpful pet-related information.

At the moment, we have 4 awesome groups to choose from: Haidiandao, Guomao, West Coast, and Guoxing/Lungkun.

Join us and let's make our people-pet community even stronger and safer.

Thanks a bunch!

The sterilization surgery for cats and dogs is free.

Contact me to be added to the TNR wetchat group: WeChat ID: Kaidi2002usch

What is TNR and how does it work?

Animals are humanely trapped, sterilized, vaccinated, ear-tipped (the tip of the ear is cropped — an international standard marking for sterilized animals), and returned to their familiar territory.

Why is it effective?

• Sterilizing 70–75%+ of a colony almost completely stops reproduction.

• In an 11-year University of Central Florida study, the cat population dropped by 66%, with zero new kittens born after the first 4 years.

• Sterilized animals fight less, stop marking territory, get sick less often and live longer.

• Ear-tipping allows everyone to immediately see that the animal is already sterilized and doesn’t need to be trapped again.

Sterilization of stray animals is the most effective and humane way to reduce the population of homeless animals, prevent suffering, and break the cycle of new generations on the streets.

If you are looking for partners, suppliers, distributors, investors, clients, or joint-venture opportunities in Hainan, please make your post clear, specific and credible.

A good B2B post should include:

1. What you are offering or looking for

Briefly explain the opportunity. For example: distributor wanted, supplier needed, local partner sought, investment project, service provider, buyer request, or cooperation proposal.

2. Your sector

State the industry clearly: tourism, healthcare, education, logistics, food and beverage, import/export, technology, real estate services, manufacturing, consulting, or another field.

3. What kind of partner you need

Be specific. Are you looking for a licensed company, local operator, investor, manufacturer, sales agent, government-facing consultant, venue, supplier, or professional service provider?

4. Basic location and scope

Mention whether the opportunity is in Haikou, Sanya, Yangpu, Boao Lecheng, elsewhere in Hainan, mainland China, or cross-border.

5. What stage the project is at

For example: idea stage, company already registered, product already available, market testing, seeking first partner, ready to launch, or expanding existing operations.

6. How people should respond

Tell members whether to reply in the thread, send a private message, or ask for more details.

Please avoid vague posts such as “big opportunity, contact me” or “investors wanted, guaranteed returns.” Posts involving investment, finance, legal claims, licensing, land, medical services, crypto, MLM, or unusually high returns may be removed or edited by moderators.

The clearer your post, the more likely serious companies and professionals are to respond.

A Chinese phone number is often much more than just a SIM card. For many expats, it is linked to WeChat, Alipay, bank accounts, apps, government services, and verification codes. Losing access to that number can create real problems, especially if the number is later recycled and assigned to someone else.

Here are a few practical things worth knowing.

1. Your monthly data SMS may not show your balance

Many China Mobile users receive regular messages showing how much data they have used or how much data remains. These messages usually do not show how much money is left in the account.

To check your balance quickly, send an SMS to your carrier:

China Mobile: send YE to 10086
China Unicom: send 102 to 10010
China Telecom: send 1 to 10001

For China Mobile data usage, send CXLL to 10086.

Replies usually arrive within seconds. Commands can vary by province or plan, so if one does not work, try the carrier app or WeChat mini-program.

2. Old SIM cards can still be linked to your accounts

Many expats have used more than one Chinese SIM card, especially after moving cities, changing carriers, or replacing an old number.

The problem is that old numbers do not simply disappear. If a prepaid number reaches zero balance and remains inactive, it may eventually be suspended, deregistered, and recycled. A commonly reported timeframe is around 90 days, though this can vary by carrier and plan.

That matters because your old number may still be linked to important accounts. WeChat, Alipay, banking apps, delivery apps, and government services may continue using that number unless you actively change it.

For WeChat, there is a known process where a recycled number can be unbound from the previous user if the new user confirms the number has been recycled. For other platforms, such as Alipay and banking apps, the exact behaviour is less clear.

The safest approach is simple: update your phone number in important apps before abandoning an old SIM.

3. You can pay a small fee to keep an old number

All three major carriers offer a service called 停机保号, which means service suspension with number preservation.

With this service, calls and data are suspended, but the number is protected from recycling as long as the monthly fee is paid.

Reported monthly fees are roughly:

China Mobile: 8–10 RMB/month
China Unicom: 8 RMB/month
China Telecom: about 5 RMB/month

Fees may vary by province, plan, or registration type, so confirm with your carrier first.

Foreign passport holders can usually request this service, but it may require calling customer service or visiting a carrier store with your passport.

4. China Mobile users should set up 无忧行 before travelling

If you use China Mobile and travel outside China, the 无忧行 app can be very useful.

The app, published by China Mobile International, has a feature called 号码托管, or number hosting. Once activated, it allows your China Mobile number to receive incoming calls and SMS through the app over WiFi or mobile data, even without the physical SIM inserted or roaming active.

This can be helpful for receiving verification codes while abroad.

To set it up:

Download 无忧行 while your Chinese SIM is still active.
Log in with your China Mobile number and complete SMS verification.
Switch your phone from 5G or VoLTE to 4G.
Deactivate or remove the China Mobile SIM.
In the app, go to 电话/消息 → 号码托管 and activate the service.

Once active, incoming calls and SMS should appear in the app through an internet connection.

A few important notes:

The app is in Chinese only.
Outbound SMS is not supported.
Outbound calls may be charged.
If the physical SIM reconnects to the network, number hosting may deactivate.
It is much easier to set this up before leaving China.

China Unicom and China Telecom users should contact their carriers directly to ask what options are available for receiving SMS abroad.

Final reminder

Before throwing away or ignoring an old Chinese SIM, check what accounts are still linked to that number. Updating your bindings, preserving the number, or setting up travel access can save a lot of trouble later.