Government officials and businesses in Hainan view collaboration between the island province’s Free Trade Port (FTP) and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as complementary and mutually beneficial, saying they look forward to deepening cultural and talent exchanges on top of trade ties.
Cai Qiang, secretary-general of the Hainan Provincial People's Government, said he believes the Hainan FTP and the HKSAR will reinforce each other and grow together.
“Although both are free ports, Hainan and Hong Kong are at different stages of historical and developmental progress. They have distinct functions and different industrial foundations,” Cai said. “Thus, the relationship is complementary.”
He noted that the province should learn from Hong Kong, which is dubbed a “superconnector” and “super value-adder”, and expects more growth opportunities to be unlocked through bilateral cooperation.
“For Hong Kong, it can also make full use of Hainan’s capabilities so that the two ports can achieve shared development,” Cai added.
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As Hainan's special customs operations marked their 100th day, a press conference was held on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2026, where officials briefed the media on the key achievements of the landmark breakthrough.
According to official data, Hainan province’s total imports and exports have surpassed 80 billion yuan ($11.57 billion) since Dec 18, 2025 when it rolled out island-wide independent customs operations, jumping by 32.9 percent from the same period last year.
About 7,500 new international trade enterprises have registered in the province, a year-on-year increase of 65.7 percent, while the number of market entities approved to enjoy zero-tariff treatment has reached 11,773.
Wang Bin, Hainan's top publicity official, told China Daily that the island, as a young FTP, offers favorable policy opportunities and is brimming with vitality, while Hong Kong boasts deep capital pools and an open business environment.
“Therefore, there is significant room for the two sides to work together across industries and in talent exchanges, particularly in the technology sphere.”
Wang also called for closer ties in cultural content and copyrights trading, noting that the annual Hainan International Film Festival in Sanya can serve as an excellent platform for Hong Kong to extend the reach of its well-established film industry.
“We have a convenient channel for cross-boundary capital flows, visa-free entry for travelers, and we sit on the doorstep of the large Southeast Asian market,” he said. “Hong Kong’s film industry can leverage our platform to showcase its products, connecting with both the Chinese mainland and Southeast Asia.”
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For enterprises based in Hainan, Hong Kong’s rich professional services talent pool and robust innovation ecosystem are seen as powerful assets.
Zhang Chenguang, chairman of Offshore Investment, said his company “urgently needs” legal and financial professionals. He added that the firm, which only began operations last year with about 30 staff, plans to expand its headcount to around 100 this year and is “very likely” to recruit more talent from Hong Kong.
Zhang also revealed that his company has invested in a robotics firm in the SAR and expects Hainan and Hong Kong to move toward a more open regime for trading computing services so they can ride the rising wave of artificial intelligence.
The four-day BFA annual conference concluded on Friday, having drawn thousands of participants ranging from policymakers and business leaders to scholars and journalists from around the world.
Clara Chan Ka-chai, chief executive officer of the Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC) — a patient capital institution wholly owned by the HKSAR government — said the institution’s investment portfolio includes a number of projects in Hainan, as well as many jointly developed by parties from different mainland cities.
Chan, who just finished a trip to Shanghai before attending the Boao meetings, added that the HKIC is scouting for opportunities in high-growth, high-impact innovators, particularly in fields such as AI, life sciences, and green energy.
Contact the writer at gabylin@chinadailyhk.com
