As China prepares to launch island-wide special customs operations at the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) on December 18, 2025 – coinciding with the 47th anniversary of the country's landmark reform and opening-up policy – a new CGTN global survey reveals overwhelming international confidence in this next phase of economic liberalization.
Tomorrow's activation of the FTP's "first-line liberalization, second-line regulation" framework will transform Hainan into Asia's largest special customs zone. The move expands zero-tariff coverage from 21% to 74% of product categories, encompassing nearly all production equipment and raw materials. According to the poll of 4,190 global respondents across five languages, 93.6% believe this will significantly reduce business costs while 91.5% anticipate smoother access to China's consumer market for international goods.
"This isn't just about tariffs – it's about rewriting the rules of global economic engagement," said a Beijing-based trade analyst familiar with the FTP plans. The port now boasts China's shortest negative lists for foreign investment and cross-border services, with 88.7% of respondents viewing this as creating prime conditions for global enterprises.
The survey highlights particular optimism about China's supersized market potential, with 91.5% predicting increased international cooperation opportunities. Notably, 92.4% of participants interpret the Hainan initiative as China's strategic response to global protectionism, reinforcing its commitment to economic globalization.
As the world marks 47 years since China's historic 1978 reforms, 92.2% of respondents see the FTP as continuing that transformative legacy through high-standard institutional opening-up. With new value-added processing rules allowing tariff-free mainland access for goods refined in Hainan, the port is poised to become what 93% of those surveyed call "the gateway to China's next economic chapter."
