Dear Members, Partners and Friends,

We are pleased to invite you to an event that will take place on June 5th in Zurich and that will give you the opportunity to learn more about a unique operation that will allow many Swiss companies to develop their business in China: the transformation of Hainan province into a Free Trade Port by 2025, with special tax policies and visa rules to attract investors, businesses and individuals.

Still little known in the West a few years ago, Hainan has strongly gained in popularity for several reasons. Sometimes referred to as the “Hawaii of the East”, China’s southernmost island has become a popular high-end tourist destination. Slightly smaller than Switzerland, it is also one of the first provinces to open up to foreign trade in the 1980s and has been a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) since 1988.

On June 1, 2020, Chinese authorities released the overall plan for the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port, a large-scale plan to transform the entire island province into a free trade port (FTP) – making it the largest special economic zone in China. The FTP is expected to be a game-changer for China’s economy. The island will have a simplified visa policy for nationals from many countries, making it easier for foreigners to visit and do business.

In addition to a phased strategy for capital account opening and free movement of capital, Hainan will offer greater market access to foreign businesses, especially in sectors like telecommunications, finance, tourism, luxury goods, healthcare, medical and education. It will also become a center for duty-free shopping, making it competitive against Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea. In 2021, Hainan accounted for 13% of China’s domestic luxury spend, compared to 6% pre-pandemic.

For all these reasons, we can only encourage you to attend this unique event where you will be able to listen and meet Mr. Ni Qiang, Vice Governor of The People’s Government of Hainan Province. Wang Shihting, Ambassador of China to Switzerland, will also give a speech.

As the capacity is limited, we invite you to register as soon as possible. You will find below the detailed program and other useful information HERE.

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Romain Barrabas, China Market Access Manager of the Swiss Centers: romain.barrabas@swisscenters.org.

Best regards,

Swiss Centers Group

Registration:

This event is free of charge, but registration is mandatory due to limited capacity. Seating will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Please send an e-mail to Mr. Romain BARRABAS, China Market Access Manager of the Swiss Centers by indicating the following information: Full name, Company name, Job title, Email address, Mobile Phone number.

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