South China's Hainan Province has been embracing a surge in consumption and tourism since the launch of the island-wide special customs operations, according to data released by Haikou Customs.
The island-wide special customs operations took effect on Dec 18 in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), the world's largest FTP by area, allowing freer entry of overseas goods, expanded zero-tariff coverage and more business-friendly measures.
According to data from Haikou Customs, in the first week after the special customs operations, duty-free shopping value in Hainan reached 1.1 billion yuan (over 157 million US dollars), a year-on-year increase of 54.9 percent.
The combined contribution of the special customs operations and the New Year holiday led to a surge in Hainan's offshore duty-free consumption market, where a wide range of promotional activities have recently been launched.
At the Sanya International Duty-Free Shopping Complex, the newly opened Sunset Market has attracted over 20 brands and IP pop-up stores, offering the waves of visiting consumers a refreshing shopping experience.
"I bought two outfits and two bags. They were much cheaper than normal after the discount," said Lin Yanfang, a Chinese tourist.
"That's one of the biggest places like that that we've seen. And then, there are many brands and many options available, so a very nice place to shop," said a French visitor.
Throughout 2025, Hainan is projected to have received over 100 million domestic and international tourists, with total tourist spending exceeding 200 billion yuan. As the first holiday after the special customs operations, the coastal province is becoming a popular choice for many tourists around the world.
"I think that Hainan is a very wonderful place. I like Hainan, I like the good nature in Hainan," said a tourist from Russia.
Most foreigners are entering Hainan under the visa-free policy. Whether through manual processing or self-service channels with facial recognition, foreign tourists can achieve seamless customs clearance in less than two minutes.
"It's very fast. The process is very good. It (goes) very smoothly. So it's very good to and easy to visit now," said a visitor from Kazakhstan.
Hainan sees booming consumption, tourism markets after special customs operations
Hainan sees booming consumption, tourism markets after 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
