One hundred days into Hainan's special customs operations, the island province is witnessing a surge in foreign trade, accelerated business registrations and growing global interest, officials said at a news conference on Thursday.

During the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2026 in Boao, Hainan province, the news conference offered a snapshot into the South China province's unfolding development as a free trade port, showcasing its openness and confidence to domestic and international media.

Cai Qiang, secretary-general of the Hainan Provincial People's Government, unveiled a set of key data highlighting the initial outcomes of the policy. From Dec 18, 2025, to the early hours of Wednesday, a total of 7,503 new foreign trade enterprises had been registered in Hainan, a year-on-year increase of 65.7 percent.

The number of market entities approved to enjoy "zero-tariff" benefits has reached 11,773, Cai said.

Offshore duty-free sales totaled 15.62 billion yuan ($2.26 billion) during the period, up 27.64 percent year-on-year. In February, the first batch of five duty-free shops for daily consumer goods opened in Hainan, allowing island residents to access tax-free shopping closer to home.

Over the past 100 days, Hainan's total imports and exports exceeded 80 billion yuan, a 32.9 percent increase from a year earlier, Cai said.

Under the zero-tariff policy, 186 transactions were completed, with a total cargo value of 1.696 billion yuan, up 146 percent, and tariff reductions and exemptions amounted to 271 million yuan, up 93.6 percent. Average customs clearance time was reduced by 26 percent, he added.

The comments came after Hainan launched special customs operations on Dec 18, which have introduced a string of favorable trade policies, such as exempting about 6,600 product categories — 74 percent of all taxable items — from import duties, value-added taxes and consumption taxes, up from the 1,900 categories for eligible enterprises.

The number of inbound and outbound passengers reached 861,000, an increase of 36.3 percent, of which 217,000 entered visa-free, up 54.2 percent. Inbound and outbound flights grew 30 percent to 6,077, while vessels increased 15.2 percent to 1,393.

Pamela Mar, managing director of the Digital Standards Initiative of the International Chamber of Commerce based in Singapore, said Hainan can play an "excellent" role in demonstrating what seamless cross-border trade looks like.

"It means that Hainan's systems for cross-border trade and compliance will be able to interconnect with many other trading partners, and enterprises in Hainan will be able to treat trade seamlessly using globally interoperable trade standards for data and documents," Mar said.

Zheng Yongnian, dean of the School of Public Policy at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), said building Hainan Free Trade Port is a major step in China's strategy to advance globalization.

"Hainan has developed rapidly in recent years, and the synergistic effects between its policies and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership can be utilized more effectively and fully," Zheng said, adding that more efforts should be made to improve its infrastructure and accelerate its alignment with high-standard international trade rules.

Jack Perry, chairman of The 48 Group Club, attributed Hainan's progress to its institutional and geographical advantages, as well as the stability it offers to global partners.

"From a value and supply chain perspective, Hainan's growth, potential to support businesses, and ability to deliver corporate revenue gains and cost savings make it a critical focus for companies," Perry said.

Contact the writers at masi@chinadaily.com.cn