China's Hainan sees smooth start to special customs operations

Operations at the Hainan Free Trade Port, the world's largest FTP by area, have been running smoothly and in an orderly fashion during the first month of China's new island-wide customs regime.

Launched on Dec. 18, the system is designed to ease the entry of overseas goods, expand zero-tariff coverage and introduce more business-friendly policies to accelerate the port's development as a global trade hub.

Drawn by policy incentives, a growing number of companies are choosing to do business in Hainan. The General Administration of Customs said 5,132 new foreign trade enterprises completed registration in the province over the past month -- an increase roughly equivalent to the total number of registrations recorded in an entire quarter of 2024.

One notable special customs policy is offering "freer access at the first line," referring to freer trade between Hainan and areas outside China's customs borders, and "regulated access at the second line," which involves applying standard customs controls for goods moving from Hainan to the mainland.

According to Haikou Customs, between Dec. 18, 2025 and Jan. 17, 2026, the value of zero-tariff goods imported through the "first line" reached 750 million yuan (about 107 million U.S. dollars), while processed and value-added goods sold domestically through the "second line" totaled about 85.9 million yuan.

For zero-tariff and bonded goods that do not require licensing or inspection, customs authorities have implemented direct release measures, streamlining import declaration items from 105 to 33, a change that has significantly improved customs clearance efficiency, customs authorities said on Sunday.

Hainan Free Trade Port has also attracted a growing number of travelers entering and leaving through the island's ports. Hainan customs processed 311,000 inbound and outbound travelers through airport ports, up 48.8 percent year on year.

"We have introduced measures including 24-hour direct transit without border inspection procedures and online pre-filling of arrival cards for foreign travelers and group tourist visa applications, enabling fast and convenient clearance for travelers," said Jin Zhou, a border inspection official in Hainan.

"Our company will continue to advance the orderly development of Hainan's international flight routes in 2026," said Li Mingshuai, vice president of Hainan Airlines.

From Dec. 18, 2025 to Jan. 17, 2026, the duty-free sales supervised by Hainan customs reached 4.86 billion yuan, up 46.8 percent year on year, and the number of shoppers rose 30.2 percent year on year to 745,000, showing sustained strong consumption vitality.

"We will take the island-wide special customs operations as a new starting point in advancing the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port. We will transition from the initial establishment of the policy and institutional system to its systematic development that is compatible with a high-level free trade port. This shift will upgrade the port's role from fostering key industries through policy empowerment to driving comprehensive economic and social development and ultimately building the port into an important gateway leading China's opening-up in the new era," said Guan Jirong, executive vice director of the Office of Hainan FTP Working Committee.

China's Hainan sees smooth start to special customs operations

Japanese and international observers condemned recent remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, expressing deep concern over suggestions that Japan may abandon its three non-nuclear principles in pursuit of nuclear weapons.

At a Diet meeting in early November 2025, Takaichi claimed that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan and implied the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait, drawing strong criticism worldwide.

A senior official overseeing security and defense at the Japanese Prime Minister's Office also said that Japan should possess nuclear weapons. The defense minister later said the government was leaving open the possibility of reviewing Japan's long-standing non-nuclear principles in the future.

"The three non-nuclear principles are Japan's lifeline and must never be altered. Whether viewed through the lens of Japan's Constitution or the proper trajectory of international relations in the 21st century, Japan's ongoing military buildup is fundamentally misguided. The very notion of a 'survival-threatening situation' should not exist. Takaichi should not have made such remarks. There are signs that the postwar international order may be seriously shaken, which is entirely unacceptable. For Japan to take such steps would be tantamount to repeating the mistakes of war," said Ishizaki Seiya, a professor at Niigata University.

International analysts said Takaichi's remarks and pro-nuclear statements by Japanese officials pose serious risks to international security and are deeply concerning.

"I think this regression in Japan which goes against the agreements signed after World War II poses a grave danger to humanity: the resurgence of Japanese militarism and its attempts to rearm itself, even to acquire nuclear weapons. I think the United Nations and all nations that signed the post-war agreements should prevent Japan from taking this step, as the consequences for humanity could be extremely severe. I believe the Japanese government should heed the call from Japanese business leaders and retract statements that are perceived as inappropriate. The Japanese government must withdraw these remarks to restore the situation to normalcy," said Spanish economist Pedro Barragan.

"It is evident that the current Japanese government has deviated from the pacifist path enshrined in its constitution. By abandoning its peaceful stance and pursuing remilitarization, Japan is adopting confrontational policies that undermine peace in the Southern Hemisphere," said Claudio Goncalves, vice principal of the University of Salvador in Argentina.

Japan officials' remarks on nuclear policy spark concern at home and abroad