Overview
- Goods with at least 30% local value added can move into the mainland without tariffs.
- The pilot lets foreign companies enter service areas that remain off-limits elsewhere in China.
- Xinhua describes the port as a gateway to a new era of opening that will boost free trade.
- Some CPTPP negotiators and a Western diplomat say accession would require nationwide reforms and a track record of compliance.
- Economists see a managed liberalisation push to revive investment after FDI fell 10.4% in the first three quarters of 2025, yet they note Hainan’s small $113 billion economy and weaker legal-financial framework than Hong Kong.