Hainan Development: China's youngest free trade port takes unprecedented measures for opening up

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02:09

In mid-April, Hainan - China's southernmost province -- was given the go-ahead to open a free trade port. One month since the announcement, the province has adopted a number of unprecedented measures for further opening up. CGTN's He Weiwei has more.

Hainan's recently launched official plan aims to attract one million talents by 2025.

Permanent residence rights and five-year working permits will be granted to top-tier talents from across the country and overseas.

They and their families will enjoy a package of preferential policies, including housing subsidies, easier access to credit loans, and better medical and educational opportunities.

WANG JING, DIRECTOR DEPT. OF INDUSTRY & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, HAINAN PROVINCE "We hope to attract more talents in fields like the Internet, big data, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology. Enterprises in the world's Top 500, or China's top 500 and other leading companies are also very welcome to set up a branch here."

Known as China's Hawaii, the island province is also a popular tourist destination. Starting from May the first, China extended visa-free access to Hainan from 21 countries to 59, including the US, Russia, Britain, and France. Foreign tourists can stay up to 30 days.

The province's biggest airport is also working on increasing its capacity.

HAN AIMIN, VICE PRESIDENT HAIKOU MEILAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT "To accommodate more passengers, we're building a new 300-thousand-square-meter terminal with a new runway that can serve the world's biggest passenger planes."

These are part of China's efforts to build the province into a free trade port with Chinese characteristics. Hainan was open for business before, and the opening is going to go deeper and wider.

HE WEIWEI YANGPU PORT, HAINAN PROVINCE "This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Hainan province. For its rapid development, reform and opening-up are the keywords. The announcement of a free trade port here will definitely bring more momentum to the province's economic growth. He Weiwei, CGTN, HAINAN."