Spring brings a surge of activity to Hainan, marking an opportune time for determined action. The 2026 National People's Congress sent a clear message: driving high-quality development through "new quality productive forces" and expanding new growth spaces via "institutional opening-up." As the inaugural year of the "15th Five-Year Plan" period and the beginning of island-wide customs operations for the Hainan Free Trade Port, Hainan is addressing this significant era-driven challenge with practical work. Recent on-the-ground observations reveal that Hainan is translating the congress's directives into concrete actions, accelerating the development of an "island of technological innovation" to underpin the high-standard construction of the free trade port with high-quality growth.
Innovation serves as the core engine for developing new quality productive forces. Leveraging its resource advantages and industrial foundation, Hainan is closely integrating breakthroughs in key core technologies with the establishment of a modern industrial system. At the Hainan Nuclear Power Base, the world's first "Linglong One" modular small reactor is intensively undergoing hot functional tests, aiming for fuel loading and grid connection within the year. Wei Zhigang, Chairman of Hainan Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., stated that the company is focusing on nuclear power technological innovation, having established eight task forces to advance nine major initiatives, with a goal of generating over 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity this year. Upon completion, "Linglong One" is expected to generate 1 billion kilowatt-hours annually. Together with the Phase I and Phase II nuclear power projects, Hainan's nuclear power generation will account for over half of the province's total electricity output, steadily advancing Hainan's "dual carbon" goals.
The nuclear sector promotes industry, which in turn revitalizes the city. Hainan Nuclear Power has concurrently facilitated the landing of projects such as liquid crystal display polarizers and nuclear-grade specialty gloves, fostering nuclear-related and high-end equipment manufacturing as new engines for regional development.
Industries are advancing with innovation, supported by industrial parks. Within the Haikou National High-Tech Zone, projects like the Xinhai Land-Island Logistics Park, high-end medical devices, and Nongfu Spring Volcanic Beverage are accelerating their development. Zhongkang Biotech's globally pioneering Class 1 new drug, Shuxili Monoclonal Antibody, has received clinical approval. Hainan Huayan Collagen is delving into the field of bioactive peptides utilizing marine resources, promoting the participation of "Chinese peptides" in global standard-setting. As of March 19, all 117 industrial enterprises above designated size in the zone have resumed operations, with 90% of ongoing construction projects restarting work, indicating sustained innovative vitality.
"Empowering through policy, supporting with finance, and gathering strength through investment promotion are driving the deep integration of innovation chains, industrial chains, capital chains, and talent chains," said a relevant official from the Haikou National High-Tech Zone. The zone is accelerating the establishment of a modern industrial system to solidify the foundation for cultivating new quality productive forces.
Opening-up is a distinctive hallmark of the free trade port. Emphasizing the steady expansion of institutional opening-up, Hainan is leveraging the initiation of customs operations to translate policy dividends into tangible development outcomes. The Yangpu Port is bustling with large vessels and busy quay cranes. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the port added one 150,000-tonnage berth and one 200,000-tonnage berth, regularized the berthing of large vessels over 100,000 tons, established 60 domestic and international shipping routes, and achieved consecutive annual increases in throughput. Du Chengcai, Deputy General Manager of the Production Operation Center at Hainan Ports & Shipping International Port Co., Ltd., explained that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, COSCO SHIPPING Ports' Yangpu Port will accelerate expansion, aiming for an annual designed handling capacity of 5 million TEUs, deepen smart and green transformation, and achieve direct connectivity between the free trade port and the global market.
The free trade port's opening-up advantages continue to attract foreign investment. Dun & Bradstreet Data Technology, located in the Haikou Revival City Internet Information Industrial Park, utilizes policies facilitating the orderly cross-border flow of data and the widened opening-up of value-added telecommunications services. It has already processed data for approximately 290,000 Hong Kong enterprises in Hainan, rapidly building a global-facing digital economy ecosystem to assist Chinese companies in "going global" and foreign enterprises in "entering Hainan."
From ports to industrial parks, from manufacturing to the digital economy, Hainan is using opening-up to promote reform, innovation, and development. Standing at this new historical starting point, Hainan is integrating the spirit of the National People's Congress throughout its high-quality development journey: activating new quality productive forces through technological innovation, creating new development advantages through institutional opening-up, strengthening the economic foundation through industrial upgrading, balancing development and security, steadily advancing island-wide customs operations, and striving to compose a new chapter in building a free trade port with Chinese characteristics.