China's Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) launched an island-wide special customs operation on Dec 18, 2025. After five months, Vietnamese journalist Do Le Ngoc Bich described today's Hainan as "quite a central logistics hub, like a bridge between the member countries in the RCEP to trade with each other".

Speaking with UnboxingChina after the 2026 RCEP Media and Think Tank Forum, she noted that Hainan has achieved a good balance between infrastructure development and ecological preservation, and is growing into an important regional logistics hub. Filipino columnist Wilson Lee Flores said the Hainan Free Trade Port is not only significant for China's economy, but will also serve as an important catalyst for economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region as well as in enhancing global competitiveness.