(260118) -- HAIKOU, Jan. 18, 2026 (Xinhua) -- Costumers shop at the Sanya International Duty Free City in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, on Jan. 10, 2026. On Dec. 18 last year, China launched island-wide special customs operations in the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), allowing freer entry of overseas goods, expanding zero-tariff coverage, and introducing more business-friendly measures.
One month into the island-wide special customs operations, Hainan FTP in south China has seen a sharp rise in duty-free purchases.
According to Haikou Customs, from Dec. 18, 2025 to Jan. 17, 2026, the duty-free sales supervised by customs reached 4.86 billion yuan (about 693.5 million U.S. dollars), 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. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)
