A delegation from Hainan Province visited Hong Kong from October 19 to 20, signing memoranda of cooperation with the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong (CMA) and the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI) to advance pragmatic cross-border collaboration in trade and investment, manufacturing industrial chains and professional services, according to an announcement carried by Media OutReach Newswire.
During the visit, the delegation called on the CCPIT Representative Office in Hong Kong, held discussions with CMA and co-hosted the Hainan Free Trade Port (Hong Kong) Economic and Trade Cooperation Exchange Meeting with FHKI. The event presented the policies, key industrial layout and investment opportunities of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) and arranged one-on-one business matchmaking between enterprises from both sides.
The memoranda matter because they institutionalize a relationship that has until now been largely transactional. Both agreements explicitly provide for a regular liaison mechanism and a long-term cooperation platform covering information sharing, business matchmaking, exhibition collaboration and professional services, giving companies on both sides a structured channel for pursuing deals rather than relying on ad hoc contacts.
Wang Yuyuan, Vice President of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Hainan Sub-council (CCPIT Hainan) and China Chamber of International Commerce Hainan Chamber of Commerce, said that since island-wide special customs operations officially launched at the Hainan FTP on December 18, 2025, 174,000 new enterprises have registered, a year-on-year surge of 95.9 percent, while newly established foreign-invested enterprises rose 35.8 percent year on year. In the first half of this year, inbound and outbound tourist arrivals exceeded 70 million, up 28 percent year on year, with the number of visa-free entry countries expanding to 88. From January to August, the province's total goods import and export volume reached 250 billion yuan, growing 61.5 percent year on year.
Hong Kong is already a central partner in that growth. According to CCPIT Hainan, Hong Kong ranks as a major source of foreign investment for Hainan. In the first half of this year, Hainan registered 1,303 new foreign-invested enterprises, an increase of 38.62 percent year on year, with Hong Kong-funded enterprises accounting for the lion's share. Hainan has also issued offshore RMB local government bonds in Hong Kong for four consecutive years, with cumulative issuance reaching 18 billion yuan.
The counterpart institutions bring substantial reach. CMA, one of Hong Kong's most representative non-profit industrial and commercial bodies, has around 3,000 member enterprises and has long provided services including exhibitions, brand promotion, testing and certification. FHKI, one of Hong Kong's four major chambers of commerce, has approximately 2,000 corporate members and focuses on sustaining Hong Kong industry and manufacturing through policy advocacy, business matchmaking, certification services and youth talent cultivation.
For manufacturers, traders and professional services firms, the practical implication is a clearer route into one of China's fastest-growing trade regimes. The memoranda commit both sides to building a long-term platform rather than a single event, which could lower the cost of market entry and make cross-border partnerships easier to identify and formalize. The source material was issued by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Hainan Provincial Committee (CCPIT Hainan).
