SCIO press conference on development of Hainan Free Trade Port

CCTV:

We understand that after adopting island-wide special customs operations, second-line checkpoints will be established for the passage of goods, items, personnel, and transportation vehicles between the Hainan Free Trade Port and the mainland. It is understood that some enterprises and travelers are worried about whether it will be inconvenient to enter and exit Hainan Island after the launch of special customs operations. For example, whether special travel permits will be required for tourism visits. Could you give us more details on this? Thank you.

Wang Changlin:

You raised a very good question, and indeed, people are quite concerned about this aspect. As I just mentioned, special customs operations are for the purpose of opening up and development. To be precise, it can be defined by few keywords: special customs operations, expanded opening up, and accelerated development. Therefore, after the launch of special customs operations, the exchanges between Hainan and the international community will be smoother and freer, and the connectivity with the mainland will be more convenient and efficient. According to the current design of special customs operations, except for some goods entering the mainland from the Hainan Free Trade Port that need to be inspected, most goods and all personnel, items, and transportation vehicles entering and exiting Hainan Island will still be managed according to current regulations, with no changes after the launch of special customs operations. For those traveling or on a business trip to Hainan Island, no extra documents are needed, just as it is now.

For goods that need to be inspected, here is an introduction for you. To avoid the impact of the opening-up measures implemented at the "first line" on the mainland market, precise management is required at the second line checkpoints, covering three categories of goods, including "zero-tariff" goods, goods benefiting from value-added processing policies, and goods with relaxed trade management measures. Next, to ensure customs clearance efficiency, the following measures will mainly be taken:

First, we will build a "one-stop" customs clearance model. Enterprises can pre-declare the information of goods leaving the island online. Customs, security inspection, and other departments will coordinate clearance procedures at the second line checkpoints and issue release orders, thereby achieving "one-time declaration, one-time inspection, and one-stop release".

Second, we will implement the strategy of "pushing forward and moving backward". Management matters such as the inspection of agricultural products leaving the island and the collection of transit surcharges originally implemented within the port will be moved forward or backward to areas outside the second line checkpoints to avoid congestion.

Third, we will strengthen intelligent supervision. We will make full use of big data, artificial intelligence, and other methods to strengthen the intelligent construction of customs, maritime safety administration, border inspection, port operators, etc., to achieve information sharing and mutual recognition of supervision.

Fourth, we will strengthen credit management. We will build a credit-based grading and classification regulatory service system. For enterprises with higher credit ratings, we will reduce the frequency of inspections to facilitate quick customs clearance.

Overall, after the launch of special customs operations, Hainan Free Trade Port will continue to maintain convenient exchanges with the mainland. In the future, various entities, especially travelers, will not be affected when entering and leaving Hainan Island. Instead, they will enjoy better travel experiences and services. Thank you.