The value of zero-tariff goods imported through customs supervision of south China's Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) has reached more than 4 billion yuan (about 560 million U.S. dollars) since the launch of the island-wide special customs operations on December 18, according to data released by Haikou Customs on Thursday.
From December 18 to 24, customs authorities supervised more than 4 billion yuan worth of zero-tariff goods imported through the "front line," which refers to goods entering Hainan from countries and regions outside China's customs territory.
During the same period, over 20 million yuan worth of domestically sold goods qualified for tariff exemptions under the "second line" policy, which applies to goods moving between Hainan Free Trade Port and other areas within the customs territory of China.
The first week of the island-wide special customs operation also saw a sharp rise in foreign trade participation. Hainan added 1,972 newly registered foreign trade enterprises during the period, more than tripling the number a year ago.
To date, more than 30,000 new customs declaration entities have been registered in the province, up by more than 40 percent from a year earlier. Benefiting from the combined effects of supportive policies and the momentum generated by the island-wide special customs operations, Hainan's offshore duty-free shopping market also experienced a surge.
Between December 18 and 24, duty-free sales totaled 1.1 billion yuan, with 775,000 items sold across 165,000 purchases.
Compared with the same period last year, duty-free shopping value rose by 54.9 percent, shopper numbers increased by 34.1 percent, and the number of items sold climbed by 11.8 percent, highlighting the positive impact of the island-wide special customs operations on consumption and market vitality.
Hainan FTP sees 4 bln yuan in zero-tariff goods imported during 1st week of special customs operations
The recent 2026 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) Annual Conference in Beijing has impressed international guests with its focus on deeper integration of technological and industrial innovation, highlighting how China's innovative advances are reshaping daily life.
The five-day forum, themed "Full Integration Between Technological and Industrial Innovation," wrapped up in Chinese capital on Sunday after bringing together more than 1,000 participants from over 100 countries and regions around the world.
More than 560 cutting-edge achievements were unveiled at the event, ranging from embodied intelligent robots and brain-computer interfaces to breakthroughs in quantum applications and 6G research and development.
The venue for the forum also showcased a number of these innovative creations to visitors, who were able to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee prepared by a humanoid barista, as well as be throughly entertained by robots performing dances or even playing piano.
Given the presence of these advanced humanoid robots, international participants shared the common view that innovation is no longer confined to laboratories but is now permeating every aspect of daily life.
"The deepest impression is actually to see how much AI is across everywhere," said Anders Karlsson, vice president of Elsevier, a global leader providing advanced information and decision support to accelerate progress in science and healthcare worldwide.
"The Zhongguancun Forum has become a very international window on innovation. We can find out annually how innovation is driving [and a key] component of growth of this wonderful country," said Vincenzo Lipardi, president and co-founder of SPICI, an Italian company assisting businesses and startups with strategic consulting services.
"As a scientist and as a worker of the United Nations system, I'm really pleased to see integration of science, technology and sustainability," said Shahbaz Khan, director of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia.
One of the forum's key themes was around opening up and striving for greater cooperation, which demonstrated to the wider world that China's innovation aims to break down barriers and share opportunities, so as to enable the global community to advance together.
"It's my first time attending the forum. And I'm very surprised that you have a very high level of innovation. China is open to ideas. Openness is the way to make innovations," said Prof. Hussein Sherief, a member of the International Committee for Scientific and Technical Data (CODATA).
Int'l guests hail integration of technology, innovation at Beijing forum
