HAIKOU, China, July 31, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On July 29, the Hainan Free Trade Port officially released the 23rd batch of six institutional integration innovation cases, highlighting the achievements of reform since the implementation of island-wide independent customs operations.
The newly released cases include the establishment of an operational management system for second-line ports, which pioneered a comprehensive definition of the concept and created a standardized management mechanism, filling a gap in China’s institutional framework. The number of declaration items required for goods leaving the island through second-line ports has been reduced from 105 to 42, improving enterprises’ average declaration efficiency by more than 70%. At the centralized cargo inspection facilities of Haikou Xinhai Port and South Port, the average security inspection time for freight trucks has been optimized to just 70 seconds.
Hainan also introduced an innovative tax administration model for zero-tariff goods, becoming the first in China to establish an intelligent supervision system based on the principles of “one person, one code; one enterprise, one account; one product, one traceability chain; and one request, one response.” From the commencement of island-wide customs operations through June 30, 2026, 93 eligible entities declared imports of zero-tariff goods worth RMB 3.437 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 53.6%.
In customs clearance, Hainan has introduced a new model under the island-wide independent customs operations through a series of trade facilitation measures, including direct release with simplified declarations, batch shipment with consolidated declaration, and streamlined second-line declarations, achieving a system characterized by “streamlined entry through the first line and convenient exit through the second line.” As of June 30, five enterprises had imported 70,000 metric tons of goods valued at RMB 270 million using the direct-release model, while 13 enterprises had completed more than 1,700 domestic sales shipments from the island through the batch shipment and consolidated declaration mechanism.
Another case focuses on a new model for integrated anti-smuggling and coastal security governance in non-designated customs areas. Hainan has established China’s first comprehensive, law-based anti-smuggling governance system covering land, sea, and air across the entire enforcement chain. Since 2025, authorities have proactively identified and transferred 2,863 leads involving illegal activities and investigated 1,494 unregistered or illegally operated vessels.
The province has also implemented a joint inspection and quarantine risk prevention mechanism based on “single-point trigger, multi-agency response.” Since the mechanism was launched in March 2025, customs authorities and local governments have shared 2,377 risk alerts and jointly handled 33 risk incidents.
In addition, Hainan has introduced full-chain innovation in the management and services of the China Yangpu Port ship registry by integrating 33 high-frequency government service items into a streamlined cross-departmental administrative process. To date, the registry has 96 registered vessels with a combined transport capacity exceeding 8.6 million deadweight tons (DWT), maintaining the leading position among China’s free trade ports and free trade zones in both fleet size and total registered capacity.
To date, the Hainan Free Trade Port has developed a total of 188 institutional integration innovation cases across 23 batches. Among them, 87 have received recognition at the national level, while 43 have been promoted nationwide for replication.
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Ame Lia
amelia@hnftp.gov.cn
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