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Hainan

Hainan
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Hainan. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Capital
Haikou
Head of Government
Party Secretary of Hainan Feng Fei
Official media credited Xiao with helping to “safeguard” the South China Sea and building facilities on the disputed reefs. Photo: Getty Images
South China Sea

Hainan official who helped build South China Sea reefs faces corruption probe

Xiao Jie’s detention is said to have shocked local officials given his lead role in running the Beijing-held islands in the disputed waters.

China's military weapons

Shandong’s use of PLA dry dock near South China Sea suggests carrier milestone

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Video | The Hainan Free Trade Port

China's space programme

China’s commercial space sector soars with 50 launches in 2025

Commercial launches accounted for 54 per cent of the total last year, data from China National Space Administration shows.

A Long March-7A carrier rocket, carrying the Shijian-29A and Shijian-29B satellites, blasts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in south China’s Hainan province on December 31, 2025. Photo: Xinhua
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | How Hong Kong can complement Hainan’s free-trade port

Jointly designed customs rules could be used in pilot schemes to smooth the customs process for international business.

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Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Is Hainan the next Hong Kong? That’s the wrong question to ask

If it leverages its special status to enhance Hainan’s experiment, Hong Kong would not be boosting a rival but securing its own indispensable role.

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China consumption

China’s Hainan hosts duty-free shopping spree under new customs regime

A flurry of activity accompanied the official establishment of the island’s tariff and tax exemptions - but will the frenzy last?

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The Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex in Haikou, capital of Hainan province. Photo: Xinhua
China property

China Jinmao sells 5-star Ritz-Carlton hotel in Sanya for US$322 million

Asset restructuring aims to boost liquidity as mainland China developers face a prolonged property downturn.

Hong Kong

Editorial | Hong Kong can and must remain competitive with Hainan

The island’s customs reform may affect certain sectors in Hong Kong. The city should innovate, adapt and reinforce unique advantages.

China trade

China’s Hainan launches separate customs regime allowing tariff-free imports

Most goods can enter Hainan with zero import duties under the new system, as China looks to turn the island into a strategic buffer zone.

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Shoppers browse an international duty-free mall in Sanya, a city in China’s southern Hainan province. Hainan has implemented a slew of special policies to attract global talent and tourists in recent years. Photo: Xinhua
China's space programme

China launches satellite ‘super factory’ in bid to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink

The facility features a ‘factory-to-launch’ pipeline, expected to make it faster and cheaper to build low Earth orbit constellations.

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China’s first comprehensive factory dedicated to the assembly, testing and reuse of carrier rockets, in south China’s coastal city of Wenchang. Photo: People’s Daily
South China Sea

Opinion | How does China’s modernising navy stack up against the US seventh fleet?

Between what the US can sustain in the region vs what China can concentrate near its shores, the calculation increasingly favours Beijing.

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China trade

China’s Xi Jinping says Hainan will spearhead ‘new era’ of opening up

The island province will launch a separate customs regime in December, with the president urging officials to ensure a smooth transition.

Asia travel

How Hainan is using hip-hop to rebrand luxury in China

‘The Chinese Hawaii’ just hosted Scott – and it’s a sign that China is embracing music it once scorned for larger consumerist ambitions.

Kanye West and Travis Scott are just two artists who are rebranding Hainan in China. Photos: Getty Images
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong has set course to join the ‘yacht club of Asia’. Can it find a way?

Yacht tourism could potentially be worth billions of dollars annually to Hong Kong’s economy, but unlocking that potential remains a challenge.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
China energy security

In a first, China launches commercial underwater data centre to power data future

The project could prove a boon for sustainability, as underwater data centres consume less energy than land-based facilities.

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Super Typhoon Ragasa

Super Typhoon Ragasa: Shenzhen to evacuate 400,000; Guangdong suspends trains

Ragasa is expected to make landfall from Shanwei in Guangdong province to Wenchang in Hainan sometime on Wednesday.

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China economy

Opinion | How Hainan and Hong Kong can build on each other’s success

Both are well positioned to support the next phase of China’s reform and opening up by aligning their unique strengths.

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An aerial view of Sanya in Hainan province on August 27. Hainan’s role isn’t to displace Hong Kong. Rather, it can complement what Hong Kong has to offer. Photo: Xinhua
Hong Kong weather

Hong Kong could face windy, wet weekend as potential tropical cyclone forms

Area of low pressure may turn into a tropical cyclone over waters off the Philippines, Observatory says.

Vietnam

‘Terrifying’ Typhoon Kajiki batters Vietnam, blowing roofs off homes

The country’s weather agency said rainfall could reach 500 millimetres until the end of Tuesday in several parts of northern Vietnam.

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China trade

Beijing plans big expansion of tariff-free access to Hainan from December

A separate customs zone will be established in the tropical island province from mid-December, enhancing its free-trade credentials.

A staff member packs duty-free goods at a duty-free store in Haikou, the capital of south China’s Hainan province, on July 5. Photo: Xinhua
Financial crime

Chen Feng, founder of Chinese conglomerate HNA, sentenced to 12 years in prison

The 72-year-old businessman was charged with harming the interests of a listed company, among other issues.

Chen Feng of HNA. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
Cryptocurrency

Hong Kong could serve as stablecoin test bed to raise yuan’s profile

Hong Kong’s stablecoins can serve as a testing ground for the mainland, providing both experience and lessons, HashKey Group CEO says.

Censorship in China

China will drop the Great Firewall for some users, but only in southern Hainan

Employees of companies operating in the island province can apply for the ‘Global Connect’ scheme, but some content will remain restricted.

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Asia travel

4 rail journeys in modern-day China; a true 21st-century experience

Chinese railways may have developed at an extraordinary pace since the 1980s, but some journeys have more to offer the curious traveller than others

Young train passengers travel through Sichuan province in 2021. Photo: Xinhua
US-China trade war

The duty-free island trying to lure Chinese shoppers amid the trade war

Hainan, a tropical island in southern China, has special customs policies allowing shops to maintain low prices even amid sky-high tariffs.

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Shoppers browse an international duty-free mall in Sanya, Hainan province. The island’s duty-free stores are expected to attract more customers amid the trade war with the United States. Photo: Xinhua
China’s navy

Chinese navy puts giant warship on show to the public for anniversary

For the first time, people on the mainland can take a close look at the PLA’s Type 075 amphibious assault ship Hainan.

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Durians in China

China’s durian determination yields golden home-grown bounty in Hainan

Tropical Hainan province has defied sceptics and rewarded investors with China-grown durian, but it ‘simply cannot compete’ with booming imports from Southeast Asia.

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