Dou yong: Four Key Measures for Promoting High-quality Development in Hainan Free Trade Port

The plenary meeting of the leading group on promoting the comprehensive reform and opening-up of Hainan held recently emphasizes that we should implement various policies and measures step by step to make greater progress in promoting Hainan Free Trade Port. According to the spirit of the conference, I believe that the following four key measures must be implemented to promote the high-quality development in Hainan Free Trade Port.

First of all, we should strengthen the rule of law and promote the legislation relating to the Hainan Free Trade Port. Since April 2018, the Party Central Committee and the State Council have introduced  important policies to support Hainan’s reform and opening-up and accelerate the construction of the free trade zone and free trade port. However, some of the policies are not so practical. The reform and opening-up of various fields involved in the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port are very new and there is no past experience we can learn from, especially trade liberalization, investment facilitation, and the implementation of the negative list. At present, it is important to complete the legislative work relating to the Hainan Free Trade Port as soon as possible, and transform the guiding documents and spirit of the central authorities into specific laws and regulations that can be implemented. We should create a good legal environment for promoting the contraction of Hainan free trade port and accelerating the comprehensive reform and opening-up in Hainan.

Secondly, we should keep a close eye on key industries and functional platforms, strengthen the real economy and promote high-quality economic development in Hainan. The development of world-renowned free trade ports such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Rotterdam highlights the transformation and changes in transportation, logistics, industrial chain, supply chain and value chain. The industrial development also experienced a transformation from transportation, logistics, processing of supplied materials to high-tech and modern service industries. Hainan is far away from the mainland and thus, it should not focus on re-export trade and general processing and manufacturing. Instead, it should focus on tourism, the modern service industry and the high-tech industry. To this end, Hainan should strengthen the development of major industrial parks such as Yangpu Economic Development Zone, Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pioneer Zone, Haikou Jiangdong New District, Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City, Hainan Ecological Software Park an so on. The experience of Singapore shows that Hainan can also develop large-scale modern chemical projects such as oil refining, ethylene and polycarbonate, so as to make Hainan a large port economy. Furthermore, Hainan should fully implement and improve the policy relating to the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pioneer Zone, encourage the research and development as well as the application of new medical technologies, equipment and drugs; formulate facilitation policies to support overseas patients’ diagnosis and treatment in the Pioneer Zone, and eventually make Hainan a world-renowned international medical tourism cluster. As for the Jiangdong New Area, we should give full play to its location advantages, highlight the functions of scientific research and development and international education to create a headquarter economic zone in Hainan Free Trade Port.

Thirdly, major projects should be implemented to improve the weak links of the Hainan Free Trade Port. Comparing with the inland areas and the requirements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, Hainan falls far behind in terms of transportation, energy, information and other infrastructure. Thus, it is necessary to increase financial support and complete fundamental and long-term projects such as social management information platforms, comprehensive bonded zone supervision and other major infrastructure. At the same time, Hainan should focus on industrial development and the construction of supporting infrastructure, technology platform projects and international tourism consumption centers in key areas such as Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City, Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pioneer Zone, and Yangpu Economic Development Zone.

In the aspect of public services such as facilities construction, operation management, and personnel management. We must attach great importance to the important role played by talents in the construction of a free trade port, and build a people-centered free trade port. Furthermore, we should optimize the role of the government, attract the participation of market and social forces, continue to establish and improve institutional systems and standards, optimize the allocation of basic public service resources. The improvement in public services will not only give the local people a strong sense of gain, fairness, security and happiness, but also attract talents to invest or start businesses in Hainan, making it a popular place for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Last but not least, Hainan should promptly formulate an implementation plan for promoting Hainan’s reform and opening-up during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period and further clarify the key tasks set in the “Overall Plan for Hainan Free Trade Port Construction”. The “14th Five-Year Plan” period is the critical period for realizing socialist modernization and the historical intersection of the two “centenary goals”. Therefore, Hainan should plan well for its economic and social development goals, clarify key tasks and ensure implementation to build an influential international free trade port.