The China (Hainan) Pilot Free Trade Zone [Photo/VCG]

【The biggest pilot free trade zone in China】

The China (Hainan) Pilot Free Trade Zone (HNFTZ) will be developed into an international free trade port that covers the whole island, with an area around 35,000 square kilometers. The total area of China' other 11 free trade zones is only about 1,300 square kilometers. Once Hainan is completely opened up, it will be the first free trade zone at the provincial level and the biggest pilot free trade port in the world, 49 times bigger than Singapore, 32 times larger than Hong Kong, and nine times the size of Dubai -- three of today's world-leading free trade ports.

【The artery of transportation by sea】

Mandated to take control of a 2-million-square-kilometer area on the South China Sea, Hainan connects the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean and is a hub for marine international shipping. The island has a number of ports constructed for international trade, including Haikou Port, Qinglan Port and Mulan Port in the north; Sanya Port and an International Cruise Terminal in the south; Longwan Port in the east; as well as Yangpu Port, Baimajing Port and Basuo Port in the west. It offers key sea lanes between Northeast and Southeast Asia, by which an average of 79.1 percent of global goods are transported every year between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Asia, Europe and the Americas. Apart from convenient international transportation of cargo, rich options are also provided for the citizens -- two international airports, as well as railways and highways reaching out from the island.

Since 2001, the annual Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), which boosts international communications and deepens opening-up, has been held in Hainan. With the aim of promoting the development of the HNFTZ, Hainan will set up a platform for ship marketing services, shipping, financing and talent cultivation for importers and transporters, and a bulk commodity exchange for trade in crude oil, palm oil and rubber.