HAIKOU, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- The 11th edition of the World Free Zones Organization (World FZO) Annual Congress will be held in Haikou, the capital of south China's Hainan Province, from Oct. 10 to 12, local authorities announced on Friday.
The event, which will be held in China for the first time, is expected to bring together over 1,500 participants from more than 70 countries and regions, highlighting the increasing integration of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) into the global network of high-standard free trade zones.
Founded in 2014, the World FZO is a nonprofit international organization dedicated to promoting innovation and development in free zones worldwide and to supporting sustainable global economic growth. Its annual congress has grown into one of the most influential global exchange platforms in the field of free zones.
Wang Guangzhi from the Hainan Provincial Bureau of International Economic Development, which will co-host the congress with the World FZO, said that hosting the event in Hainan reflects the international community's recognition of both China's commitment to high-standard opening-up and the progress of the Hainan FTP's construction.
Hainan will introduce more preferential zero-tariff policies, more flexible trade management measures, more convenient clearance procedures, and more efficient and targeted supervision models, contributing a Hainan model to the global development of free zones, Wang said.
In April 2018, China announced plans to transform Hainan into a pilot free trade zone, with a long-term vision of developing a free trade port with Chinese characteristics. The Hainan FTP is set to launch an island-wide independent customs operation on Dec. 18, 2025.
