Business · Companies · 5 hrs ago
Hainan's new customs system expands import duty exemptions
Hainan, a province in southern China, switched to a new customs system in December 2025.
The system increased the number of products exempt from import duties from 1,900 to 6,600, covering 74% of the total product range.
The exemptions apply to organizations on the island with a genuine need to import goods, while passenger travel remains under the previous rules.
Experts say the system reduces logistics costs and eases trade between production stages.
They also say it gives manufacturers better access to raw materials and ways to move finished products.
The changes are part of a broader central government effort to modernize goods trade, lift restrictions on services trade and encourage imports and exports.
Professor Pei Guangyi expects institutional changes to help drive Hainan's future growth, though no specific timeline for that growth is given.
Hainan’s new customs system expanded the number of products exempt from import duties from 1,900 to 6,600.
The duty-exempt products account for 74% of the total product range.
The preferences apply to enterprises, institutions and private nonprofit organizations on the island with a genuine need to import goods.
Experts say the system clarifies rules for interregional trade and can reduce logistics costs.
Passenger traffic remains subject to the previous regulations, and business and tourist travelers do not need additional documentation.
- Who
- Hainan’s administration and organizations importing goods on the island. The changes were discussed by Chinese experts.
- What
- Hainan expanded its list of products exempt from import duties under a new customs system.
- When
- The system took effect on December 18, 2025.
- Where
- Hainan, a province in southern China.
- Why
- The system aims to expand openness and reduce institutional costs, while supporting trade and manufacturing.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Hainan transitioned to a new customs system.
TASS published an article describing the system and expert views on its effects.
- Duty-exempt items
- Expanded from 1,900 to 6,600
- Share of product range
- 74%
- System start date
- December 18, 2025
- Eligible importers
- Enterprises, institutions and private nonprofit organizations with a genuine need to import goods
- Passenger traffic
- Remains subject to the previous regulations
What people are saying
In the future, Hainan's high-quality development will no longer rely on overlapping strategic measures, but rather on precise, systematic regulations that transform openness into sectoral growth.
clearly defined the rules for interregional trade
opened strategic channels for the flow of raw materials and finished products between the upstream and downstream segments of the production chain