China says Hainan will not adversely affect Hong Kong's status as trading hub

Updated: June 8, 2020 Source: CGTN
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China's top economic planner said Monday that both the positioning and industry focus of the Hainan free trade port are different from Hong Kong's, indicating that complementarity outweighs competition in the two regions.

The rise of Hainan will also not take a toll on Hong Kong's status, Lin Nianxiu, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, told a press conference at which he was joined by other government officials, including Wang Shouwen, vice minister of commerce and deputy China international trade representative.

The briefing was called by the State Council Information Office to expound on the master plan for the Hainan free trade port that was released on June 1.

The plan aims to build the southernmost island province into a globally influential duty-free trading center by the middle of the century. It says a trade port system focusing on trade and investment liberalization and facilitation will be "basically established" in Hainan by 2025 and become "more mature" by 2035.

China is to build Hainan, China's largest special economic zone, into the frontline of the country's integration into the global economic system, according to the plan. The tropical island of 9.5 million people will also benefit from a low income tax rate capped at 15 percent for eligible individual and freedoms in terms of foreign trade and capital flows and an easier investment environment. 

The decision to develop the entire island of Hainan into a pilot free trade port was announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to the island in April 2018. Recently, Xi has underlined the importance of high quality and high standards in the construction in the Hainan free trade port.

From April 2018 through February 2020, Hainan notched up foreign trade of 176.13 billion yuan, a steep rise of 30.4 percent compared with the previous comparable cycle. ASEAN is Hainan's largest trading partner with a total import and export volume of 48.02 billion yuan, according to the General Administration of Customs.

Editor: 刘婷