Hainan unveils action plan to enhance services for global businesses and expats

Hainan province has launched a three-year action plan featuring 30 initiatives and 80 specific measures to enhance international services, boost cross-border trade and investment, and provide opportunities for global businesses and talent that are interested in the free trade port.

The Three-Year Action Plan for Optimizing Foreign-Related Services and Enhancing the International Business Environment in Hainan Province, released April 6 and detailed at a Tuesday news conference, focuses on areas including professional credential recognition, customs clearance efficiency and inbound tourism services.

A centerpiece of the plan is a system allowing foreign professionals to have their overseas qualifications recognized as equivalent to local professional titles in key industries such as health care, finance and big data. The system covers 105 overseas credentials from 22 countries and the regions of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, enabling direct title certification without oral defense through an employer-review and online application process.

Hainan's border inspection authorities are moving to streamline entry for international visitors by expanding visa-free countries and deploying smart customs clearance technology. A 24-hour multilingual service hotline also supports travel and transit inquiries.

"The plan explicitly calls for building a high-standard Hainan Free Trade Port International Services, establishing a one-stop multilingual platform for policy interpretation, government services and information," He Jifeng, deputy director of the Hainan Provincial Department of Business Environment Development, said.

A large number of internationally renowned enterprises in the medical, education, tourism and high-tech sectors have established operations in Hainan. Official statistics show that from 2020 to 2025, Hainan saw the establishment of more than 10,000 new foreign-funded enterprises, representing an average annual growth rate of over 40 percent. Total actual utilized foreign capital reached $18.652 billion, double the total foreign capital actually used in the 30 years since Hainan became a province, with an average annual increase of more than 15 percent.

The province is also accelerating the development of a global aviation network. Since the start of 2026, Hainan has launched 11 new overseas passenger and cargo routes, with passenger flights now connecting to 23 countries and 45 cities and cargo service reaching seven countries and seven cities.

To improve daily life for foreign residents, the province's foreign affairs office has introduced a model combining expert expat experience with multi-stakeholder evaluation to identify service gaps. As a result, expat satisfaction with living convenience in Hainan rose 11.74 percent in an April 2026 survey compared with October 2025.