China's tropical island province of Hainan recorded strong trade growth with other founding members of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) in the first two months of 2026, customs data showed on Tuesday.
According to Haikou Customs, Hainan's total trade with the 28 other founding members of the BFA reached 17.16 billion yuan (about 2.5 billion U.S. dollars) in the January-February period, up 28.1 percent year on year and accounting for 33.7 percent of the province's total foreign trade during the same period. Exports rose 62.4 percent to 7.18 billion yuan (about 1.04 billion U.S. dollars), while imports increased 11.1 percent to 9.98 billion yuan (about 1.5 billion U.S. dollars).
Trade with 24 of the founding countries saw double-digit growth in the same period. Other BFA founding countries remained major sources of the island province's imports of mineral ores and agricultural products. More than half of Hainan's agricultural exports were shipped to these markets, with exports of edible oil, vegetables, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and tea all posting varying degrees of growth.
Moreover, exports of mechanical and electrical products to these countries reached 2.06 billion yuan (about 299 million U.S. dollars), surging 159.2 percent and accounting for 28.7 percent of Hainan's total exports to these markets.
On Dec 18, 2025, China initiated island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), the world's largest free trade port by area, allowing freer entry of overseas goods, expanding zero-tariff coverage, and introducing more business-friendly measures.
Boao, a coastal town in the province, is hosting the BFA Annual Conference 2026 from Tuesday to Friday. The event, themed "Shaping a Shared Future: New Dynamics, New Opportunities, New Cooperation," features four core topics and more than 50 sub-forums, roundtables and dialogue sessions.
Hainan logs strong grade growth with BFA founding members in January-February period
