HAIKOU, China , March 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A report from Hainan International Media Center:
Over 70 percent of surveyed ASEAN enterprises recognize Hainan’s strategic value as a “transit or re-export platform” for entering the Chinese mainland market, according to a joint report released Friday as the Hainan Free Trade Port (Hainan FTP) marked the 100th day since launching island-wide special customs operations on December 18, 2025.
As the policy dividends of special customs operations continue to be released, enthusiasm among ASEAN enterprises for investing in Hainan is steadily growing. The release of this report provides a direct reference from the perspective of ASEAN enterprises for deepening economic and trade cooperation between Hainan and ASEAN, further helping Hainan build itself into an important hub for Chinese enterprises going global and ASEAN enterprises entering the Chinese market.
The survey, conducted by Hainan Daily Press Group and Malaysia’s century-old financial media outlet Nanyang Siang Pau through the Hainan International Media Center (HIMC) ASEAN Liaison Center, combined online questionnaires with thorough field research conducted in November 2025. Covering 106 enterprises across Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Laos—including SMEs, startups, and professional investment institutions spanning manufacturing, trade and logistics, services, and digital economy—the report reveals ASEAN businesses have shifted from “policy attraction” judgments to comprehensive assessments of “institutional operational feasibility.”
Enterprises now view the Hainan FTP as an “institutional project” rather than a single industrial park or tax haven. According to the ranking results, “financial support and facilitation” topped enterprise expectations, becoming the most prominent priority for government support. These expectations were closely followed by “rule of law and market environment” and “policy interpretation and guidance”.
The survey indicates that ASEAN enterprises expect Hainan to function as a “buffer zone” and “interface zone” providing operational pathway guidance through concrete case studies and scenario-based instructions on establishing operations, accessing the domestic market, and managing compliance risks.
To read the bilingual report, please copy and paste the following link into your browser: https://www.hicn.cn/page?n=2810678&m=1&s=1044&l=1021.
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SOURCE Hainan International Media Center (HIMC)
