Hainan Free Trade Port a global launchpad

Not far away, at Haikou Ruichips Semiconductor in the Haikou Integrated Free Trade Zone, another story is unfolding — one of "bringing in" and "going global". Using production equipment imported under Hainan's zero-tariff policy, Ruichips has independently produced and exported 773,000 transistors, valued at 1.85 million yuan. It is the first semiconductor case since the special customs launch, and it demonstrates how the policy can help high-tech industries leapfrog.

Ruichips has built a semiconductor packaging and testing base in the zone, integrating advanced assembly and intelligent module manufacturing. The company said zero-tariff equipment gives it real competitiveness, as lower costs mean it can upgrade technology and expand capacity faster. The company also plans to import raw materials from overseas to further cut production costs.

Macun Port Customs has been instrumental, assigning special service personnel to guide the company through policy application and creating a green lane for precision equipment inspection. "Supporting high-tech industries is a key focus of our work," said Lin Yonglin, deputy head of Macun Port Customs. "We will help more 'Made in Hainan' products reach global markets."

Such favorable policies also benefit traditional industries. Huang Haiwen, logistics supervisor at Charoen Pokphand Group (Hainan) Xinglong Coffee Industry Development Co — a Sino-Thai joint venture in Wanning — said if there is one word to describe the past year, it is "breakthrough".

By late 2025, the company had successfully shipped raw coffee beans from Colombia and Brazil to Hainan for processing, then exported the finished product to Australia. "The 'both ends outside' model — raw materials from abroad, processing in Hainan, export to a third country — really works," Huang said with evident pride.

Even more gratifying, Xinglong Coffee Valley was certified as a national scenic spot. "Nearly 400,000 tourists visited last year," Huang said. "They came not just to drink coffee, but to experience a lifestyle."

To Huang, the special customs policy is a "wall-breaker". But the real key, she argued, is that companies must actively turn policy dividends into real business — "buying raw materials globally, selling products globally". Her next ambition: "We want to move from being a participant to having a voice. I hope the global coffee trade will eventually use 'Hainan standards' that we helped to establish."

Hainan's well-known tourism industry is also riding the policy dividend to reach new heights. In Bohou village in Sanya, Su Shaohong, Party secretary of the village, rattles off growth numbers with satisfaction, but what truly excites him is the new faces.

"Russian, South Korean and South African visitors — many just follow their phone maps and show up," he said, remembering a Russian mother who wanted to buy fruit for her child but couldn't pay. "The disappointment in that child's eyes really got to me."

That incident sparked a wave of upgrades. The village added English to all street signs, installed bilingual direction boards showing distances to the airport, set up foreign currency exchange points and organized basic English classes for homestay owners and night market vendors.

"Now at least they can say 'How to eat this' and 'How much'," Su laughed. However, he cautions against uniform development: "The province should plan better so that not every village builds the same homestays. Some rely on rainforests, some have Li (ethnic group) brocades — we need our own character, our own unique selling points."