Hainan's ASEAN Export Boom: What the Latest Customs Figures Actually Show

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?

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