-
Hainan Free Trade Port launched on Nov 8 its first intercontinental air freight route as a first step to building a global air cargo network in Hainan province
-
The all-cargo flight loaded with 110 tonnes of goods departed from Haikou Meilan International Airport for Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
-
A master plan to elevate Hainan FTP to an international free trade port by 2050 was released in June 2020
The Hainan Free Trade Port (Hainan FTP) in southern China’s Hainan Province launched its first intercontinental air freight route linking the provincial capital of Haikou with The Netherlands’ capital Amsterdam.
An all-cargo flight loaded with 110 tonnes of goods departed from Haikou Meilan International Airport for the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on November 8.
This marks the first step of the province in building an international air cargo network and hub, according to a report from Xinhua News.
The outbound goods shipped by the flight consisted mainly of electronic products and general commodities, while the inbound goods were comprised of auto parts and e-commerce products.
The launch of the air cargo route was in support of Hainan free trade port’s vision to become an integrated service hub of the international supply chain under the Belt and Road Initiative, said the report.
Chinese authorities on June 1, 2020 released a master plan to build Hainan island into an international free trade port by 2050.
The plan will be rolled out in several stages and supported by a series of tax and legal system changes. The tax policy element is summarized in the master plan as consisting of “zero-tariffs, low tax rates, a simplified tax system, and an enhanced legal system.”
The construction of the Hainan free trade port has picked up steam since June despite the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a release from the Hainan International Economic Development Bureau last September.
So far, the FTP has landed a total of 94 major projects including 20 foreign-funded ones, covering sectors such as tourism, modern service and high-tech industries, it said.
Photo by Anna Frodesiak
