Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Creation of free trade zone gives boost to Hainan's economy

 The creation of a free trade zone and port on Hainan accelerated the growth of the region's economy. According to Peng Wei, deputy head of the region's commerce department, significant growth in the province's economic performance, despite the negative consequences of the pandemic, proves it.


"Last year, Hainan attracted about 122,000 highly qualified specialists from other regions, including more than 11,000 foreign citizens," the Zhongguo Xinwenwang quoted him as saying.


"The information fully demonstrates that Hainan's free port zone attracts foreign capital, highly skilled workforce, enterprises and other resources," he said, adding that Hainan has become an important link between the global and Chinese economies. As the representative of the authorities noted, the fourteenth five-year plan envisages ensuring the average annual growth rate of the regional economy at the level of over 10%.


Peng Wei stressed that after the introduction by the regional authorities in July 2020 of new exemptions in the regulation of duty free trade, sales in this area have doubled. In 2021, duty-free shops are planning to introduce delivery of goods by mail, as well as to exempt Hainan residents from paying duties on the purchase of imported goods. As a result of these measures, the authorities expect sales of duty free shops in 2021 to reach about 60 billion yuan (about $ 9.25 billion), and by 2025 — about 300 billion yuan (about $ 46.2 billion).


He also noted that Hainan is leading among other China's regions in terms of the degree of tourism sector recovery — in 2020, the number of tourists visiting the regions amounted to about 80% of the indicators of 2019.


Ecology According to the deputy head of the officce for environmental protection, Kong Linghui, when planning the socio-economic development of the province, the Hainan authorities pay special attention to ecology. According to the official, in 2020, the average concentration of fine particles in the region decreased from 16 to 13 micrograms per cubic meter. This is a record low in the entire history of observations.


"Hainan not only continues to lead in the field of environmental protection, but also promotes green investment and consumption by banning the use of plastic, as well as promoting cars running on new energy sources," the news outlet quoted him as saying.


According to the government's plans for the next five years, Hainan will peak carbon emissions by 2025 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050. By 2025, the proportion of days with excellent air quality per year will be maintained at more than 98%, and the average annual fine particle concentration is expected to drop to 11 micrograms per cubic meter.


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