Hainan's port progress plotted

Liao Hongyu, an NPC deputy and chief supervisor of HNA Airport Group and Haikou Meilan International Airport, said he will submit a proposal to promote the construction of a one-stop international aircraft leasing center and aircraft assets trading center in Hainan in the future.

"Hainan can learn from the experience of Ireland and Tianjin to build a new gathering place for the global aircraft leasing industry to promote optimization and upgrading of Hainan's modern service industry," said Liao, adding that he is optimistic about the province's development.

Shi Zongwei, a member of the CPPCC delegation and commissioner and Party chief of Haikou's customs, said his proposal focuses on improving the competitiveness of the aquaculture industry, strengthening agricultural science and innovation to cultivate new seed strains, and developing industry associations to enhance the international competitiveness of industries where China has an advantage. "Industry associations will play a positive role in promoting formation of the highest level of opening up in the Hainan FTP," he said.

Ken Chu, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and chairman and CEO of Mission Hills Group, who is specially invited from Hong Kong, will submit five proposals. A key concern is the adverse impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak on the tourism industry, which faces a long road to recovery.

Chu said his group will partner with international travel, sports and cultural brands to enrich the tourism sector and raise Hainan's global profile and influence.

The province has made solid progress in developing a world-class legal system and business environment over the past two years. The comprehensive opening-up will help launch construction of the free trade port, provincial government officials said.

An appraisal report by the Development Research Center of the State Council said 95 percent of the tasks set for the Hainan FTZ by the central authorities had been implemented, boosting confidence in all sectors and laying a sound foundation for accelerating construction of the Hainan FTP.

Since April 2018, thanks to the improvement of the business environment, the number of service trade entities grew by 58.9 percent in 2018 and 59.6 percent last year, the provincial government said at a news conference on Friday.

Sectors including insurance, finance, travel, transportation, intellectual property rights, maintenance, telecommunications, computers and information technology, and cultural and entertainment services all developed rapidly. The service trade surplus reached 653 million yuan ($92 million) last year, the province's first recorded surplus.

Hainan, which had 103 international air routes, has developed 87 service trade partners, and trade volumes with Hong Kong, the United States, Singapore, Ireland and Canada now account for 62.69 percent of the province's total service trade, officials at the news conference said.

In the past two years, Hainan has begun construction of 893 projects, with investment hitting 484.1 billion yuan, according to data from the provincial government.

In line with international standards, Hainan will formulate and implement an action plan to further optimize the business environment this year, Shen said.

More convenient entry and exit policies will be introduced for foreigners when appropriate, additional consulates will be opened, and offices of international organization will be encouraged to set up in Hainan, he said. An international commercial dispute resolution mechanism is also scheduled to be introduced this year.

Shen said that Hainan will focus on growth of three key areas-tourism, modern service industry and high-tech industry, with the high-tech industries highlighting tropical agriculture, deep-sea exploration and aerospace technologies.

Hainan will strengthen institutional innovation to cultivate and strengthen the core advantages of the Hainan FTP, cultivate market confidence, ensure efficient governance and help people develop a sense of enjoying benefits from Hainan FTP construction, Shen said.