According to Haikou Customs, from the launch of island-wide special customs operations on December 18, 2025 to the end of February, 2026, the total import and export value of goods traded by companies in Hainan Province reached 65.49 billion yuan, up 29.1% year-on-year.

Exports totaled 26.84 billion yuan, up 55.4%, while imports reached 38.65 billion yuan, up 15.5%. Hainan has established trade relations with more than 220 countries and regions around the world.

Lu Jinsong, a representative of Haikou Customs, explained that since the implementation of special customs operations, the four key features of Hainan’s foreign trade have been record increases in scale, a leading rate of increase, a more active business sector, and a more diversified market.

Hainan’s foreign trade set a new record by exceeding 30 billion yuan for the first time in December 2025, when island-wide special customs operations began.

A new year-on-year record high in trade was achieved over the first two months of 2026, despite the eight day long Chinese New Year holiday.

Since the launch of island-wide special customs operations, Hainan’s rate of increase in foreign trade has outpaced the national year-on-year average by 14.1 percentage points.

Exports increased by 39.4 percentage points over the national average, while increases in imports exceeded the average by 2 percentage points.

The business sector has also continued to strengthen. Since the launch of island-wide special customs operations, the number of companies in the province with actual import and export activities has reached 2,108, an increase of 48.5%.

These numbers include 1,944 private companies with a combined import and export value of 49.27 billion yuan, up 45.3%. These companies account for 75.2% of the province’s total trade, an increase of 8.3 percentage points, further highlighting the private sector’s role as the main driver of foreign trade.

Hainan’s trade partners have become more diverse. Since the launch of special customs operations, Hainan has conducted trade with over 220 countries and regions. Hainan’s trade with BRI countries reached 40.19 billion yuan, up 34.7%, accounting for 61.4% of the total. Trade with ASEAN totaled 9.83 billion yuan, increasing by by 11.4%. Trade with Africa totaled 9.17 billion yuan, up 67%, and trade with Latin America totaled 5.22 billion yuan, up by 28.9%. Hainan’s trade with the Middle East increased by 41%, and trade with Central Asia was up 296.5%.

“Overall, in the two months plus since the launch of island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port, operations have remained stable and efficient, customs clearance has become more convenient for businesses, trade flows have been increasingly concentrated, and policy dividends are rapidly resulting in market vitality and development momentum, achieving an excellent beginning,” said Lu Jinsong.