Hainan FTP's 16 New Trade Measures (Document No. 187): What Is Specific and What Still Needs Rules

On 29 October 2026, four central ministries published a notice with 16 measures to raise the level of trade liberalisation and facilitation in the Hainan Free Trade Port. This brief explains what each measure covers, who it affects and how much detail it actually contains. For the wider framework, including customs closure, tax rates and entity options, start with our Hainan Free Trade Port guide.

Quick answer

The notice is numbered Shang Zi Mao Fa [2026] No. 187 and dated 9 October 2026. It has three parts: goods trade (six measures), services trade (six) and new trade models (four). For most foreign SMEs, the practical takeaways are narrower than the headlines:

1. Only a few measures set a specific rule. The clearest are the three-year practice licence for foreign doctors (item 7), foreign companies’ use of bonded LNG terminal facilities (item 5) and a defined route for bonded remanufactured goods into mainland pilot free trade zones (item 14).
2. Some measures depend on a condition. LNG futures delivery waits for LNG futures to be listed (item 4). New bonded maintenance items depend on Hainan’s own assessment (item 15).
3. The measures closest to smaller firms state a direction. Work permits, foreign professional qualifications, offshore trade and Hong Kong cooperation are covered, but implementing rules had not been published at the time of writing.
4. There is no effective-date clause. The notice instructs agencies to implement. It does not say when each item applies.

The notice in brief

The issuers are the Ministry of Commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the General Administration of Customs. Our translation of the title is Notice on Further Raising the Level of Trade Liberalisation and Facilitation in the Hainan Free Trade Port. The notice is dated 9 October 2026, and its full text was published on 29 October 2026.

It is addressed to 17 central agencies and to Hainan’s provincial departments, which are told to break the measures into tasks, implement them and build risk controls. In our reading, each item becomes usable when the responsible agency issues procedures or starts accepting applications, not on the publication date.

The notice follows the start of island-wide independent customs operations on 18 December 2025. It adds measures on top of that framework. It does not replace the customs closure arrangements, zero-tariff lists or EF accounts, and it does not change the Hainan corporate or individual income tax regimes.

All 16 measures at a glance

“Specific rule” means the notice states the rule itself. “Direction” means it states a policy aim and leaves the details to later rules.

#	Measure	Mainly affects	Status
1	Jet fuel entering independent bonded storage for re-export is inspected to international standards	Aviation fuel traders, storage operators	Specific rule
2	Yangpu bonded and export-supervised warehouses for gasoline, kerosene, diesel, fuel oil and naphtha may be integrated under a new supervision model	Oil storage operators in Yangpu	Support for integration; Yangpu only
3	Import pilot for faulty key auto parts used in R&D testing	Automotive R&D and testing companies	Pilot; scope to follow
4	LNG futures delivery warehouse business, with energy-based metering for bonded delivery	LNG traders, terminal operators	Conditional on LNG futures being listed
5	Foreign companies may use bonded facilities at Hainan LNG receiving terminals	Foreign LNG traders	Specific rule; no futures condition
6	New-type barter trade, with RMB pricing encouraged	Trading companies	Direction
7	Foreign doctors’ practice licence valid for up to three years, renewable	Foreign doctors, hospitals and clinics	Specific rule
8	Licensing of exhibitions co-hosted by foreign organisations delegated to the Hainan Department of Commerce	Exhibition organisers	Delegation; Hainan regulation to follow
9	Better domestic trade credit insurance for Hainan companies	Firms selling both in China and abroad	Direction
10	More insurance products for international transport and bonded maintenance	Logistics and maintenance firms	Direction
11	Update the list of recognised foreign professional qualifications; foreign talent may join professional title evaluation	Foreign professionals and their employers	Direction; list updates to follow
12	More convenient work-permit and stay policies for foreign nationals	Foreign staff, founders, employers	Direction; no details yet
13	Offshore trade: data and information sharing between agencies	Offshore trading companies	Direction
14	Bonded remanufactured products may enter mainland pilot free trade zones, with duty and taxes charged	Remanufacturers in special customs zones	Specific rule, with conditions
15	Expand the “two-ends-abroad” bonded maintenance catalogue	Repair and maintenance companies	Conditional on Hainan’s assessment
16	Deeper Hainan–Hong Kong trade and industrial cooperation	Groups using Hong Kong and Hainan together	Direction

Goods trade: six measures, mostly for energy and industry

Items 1 to 5 serve fuel, energy and automotive companies with physical operations in Hainan. Item 1 applies international inspection standards to re-export jet fuel held in independent bonded storage. Item 2 lets Yangpu combine bonded and export-supervised warehouses for refined oil products and manage them under one approved total capacity. Item 3 opens an import pilot for faulty key parts used in vehicle R&D testing, but the parts covered and the procedure are not set out.

Items 4 and 5 are often reported together, but they are different. Item 4 applies after LNG futures are listed. It supports LNG futures delivery warehouses in Hainan and allows energy-based metering for bonded delivery. Item 5 has no such condition. It allows foreign companies to use the bonded facilities of Hainan’s LNG receiving terminals.

Item 6 supports new-type barter trade “in a prudent and orderly way” and encourages RMB pricing. No definition, scope or settlement procedure is given. A trading company should not change its contract model on the basis of this item alone.

Services trade: the part most relevant to smaller firms

Foreign doctors (item 7). Under China’s national rules for short-term practice by foreign doctors, registration is valid for no more than one year and must be redone to continue (Article 12). Permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macau with practice rights can register for up to three years (Article 18). Item 7 gives foreign doctors practising clinical diagnosis and treatment in the Hainan FTP a practice licence of up to three years, renewable under the rules. The doctor still needs lawful practice rights abroad and an invitation, appointment or application linked to a Hainan medical institution. For healthcare projects, see our Boao Lecheng medical zone guide.

Exhibitions (item 8). Licensing of economic and technical exhibitions co-hosted by foreign organisations will be handled by the Hainan Department of Commerce. Events using names such as “China”, “Chinese”, “National” or “State” are excluded. Hainan will adopt its own FTP regulation on supervision.

Insurance (items 9 and 10). These ask insurers to improve domestic trade credit insurance and develop products for international transport and bonded maintenance. They are support measures, not new rights for individual companies.

Foreign qualifications (item 11). Hainan is asked to keep updating its list of recognised foreign professional qualifications, and foreign talent with such qualifications may take part in professional title evaluation. This can matter to firms hiring licensed professionals, but the updated list had not been published at the time of writing.

Work permits and stay (item 12). The notice promises “more convenient work-permit and stay policies” for foreign nationals entering Hainan. It gives no criteria. Until rules appear, plan hires under the current Category A, B and C system described in our Hainan visa and residency guide.

New trade models: four measures

Offshore trade (item 13). The notice asks agencies to share offshore trade data and information and improve data services. It does not set a new tax rate or banking rule. With more data shared between agencies, a company’s contracts, shipping documents and payment records are more likely to be checked against each other. Our 15th Five-Year Plan brief covers the wider offshore trade targets.

Bonded remanufacturing (item 14). Products remanufactured under bonded status in Hainan’s special customs supervision zones, such as the Yangpu Bonded Port Area, may leave the zone and enter mainland pilot free trade zones. Import duty, import-stage VAT and consumption tax are charged under the normal rules. The products must meet every technical requirement for equivalent new products and carry a clear “remanufactured product” label. This is a route into pilot free trade zones, not general access to the mainland market.

Bonded maintenance (item 15). “Two-ends-abroad” maintenance means goods come from abroad for repair in Hainan and return abroad afterwards. For items already on the national catalogue, Hainan will run its own assessment and take responsibility; items that pass may be carried out in the FTP. See our NEV export and bonded maintenance brief for how this works in the automotive sector.

Hong Kong cooperation (item 16). The notice supports closer trade and industrial cooperation with Hong Kong, rule alignment and better coordination with the Greater Bay Area. It does not create a new mechanism. If you are deciding how to use both places, see our Hainan and Hong Kong structuring guide and the Hainan vs Hong Kong comparison.

What foreign businesses should do now

1. Find the item that touches your model. Most of the 16 measures will not change anything for a typical foreign SME.
2. Do not restructure on a headline. Wait for the responsible agency to publish a procedure before signing leases, hiring or changing contracts on the strength of an item.
3. Watch the right agency. Health items sit with the Hainan health authority, work-permit items with human resources and immigration authorities, customs items with Haikou Customs, and offshore trade with commerce, foreign exchange and the banks.
4. Keep current rules in your 2026 plans. Work permits, professional qualifications and offshore trade banking all run on existing rules until new ones are issued.

If you want to check whether any of these measures affects your plan, tell us about your business. We will tell you which items matter, which do not, and what is still unconfirmed. For everything else about setting up in Hainan, return to the Hainan Free Trade Port guide.

Official sources

• Notice No. 187 of 2026, full Chinese text as reprinted by Xinhua (29 October 2026): news.cn
• Interim Measures for the Administration of Short-Term Practice by Foreign Doctors in China, as revised on 5 June 2026 (Ministry of Justice database, Chinese): moj.gov.cn

This article is general information based on the published text of the notice. It is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Implementing rules may change how each measure applies.