Free-trade port

On December 18, Hainan became a separate customs territory from mainland China, exempting around 6,600 categories of goods from tariffs—about 74 per cent of taxable imports—to support sustainable growth as a free-trade port. The island province, home to more than 10 million people and slightly larger than Belgium, aims to move beyond its tourism-centred economy following three speculative booms and busts.