The Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, China's first special medical zone in the tropical province of Hainan, has emerged as a gateway for global medical innovation, bridging cutting-edge international medical products with Chinese patients and attracting international investors eager to tap into its potential.
Since 2024, eligible medical facilities in the region have been able to import tariff-free innovative pharmaceuticals and medical devices from foreign markets that are yet to be listed in China.
"This is an Austrian cochlear implant. It is the first duty-free special access medical device introduced to the pilot zone after the duty-free policy was launched here in 2024. This product bridges countless people with hearing impairments across China to the world of sound," said Wang Shanqiu, quality manager of the Boao Medicine Public Bonded Warehouse.
China on Thursday launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), the world's largest FTP by area, allowing freer entry of overseas goods, expanding zero-tariff coverage and more business-friendly measures.
Under the new arrangements, the tropical island of more than 30,000 square kilometers has been designated as a special customs supervision zone, marking a new stage in the development of the Hainan FTP.
"As of November 2025, over 50 products approved for rare disease treatment have been made available in the pilot zone. As the island-wide special customs operations take effect, more patients will benefit in the future," Wang said.
In the Hainan FTP, foreign companies can benefit from a business environment more closely aligned with international standards, lower tax and production costs, and broader access to service sectors like healthcare and education. They can also use Hainan as a platform to tap into the vast Chinese mainland market.
Many foreign investors have spotted the opportunities on the island. Ulla Nurmenniemi, vice chair of the Finland Chamber of Commerce in China, has even moved from Beijing to Hainan to live and develop her career there.
She said Hainan had kept too low profile on advertising what they can do.
"Because if you look at the environment and look at the amount of the foreign companies here, there's room for much more. So I do genuinely believe that this will be an amazing place in the future. And if companies want to come here, it's better to come now," Nurmenniemi said.
Once an underdeveloped frontier outpost, Hainan became China's largest special economic zone in 1988. A master plan released in 2020 set the goal of developing the island into a globally influential, high-level FTP by the middle of the century.
Official data shows that since 2020, more than 9,600 foreign-invested enterprises have been established in Hainan.
Pilot zone in Hainan emerges as gateway for global medical innovation
