Hainan Officials Appeal to Beijing for Support as Free Trade Port Faces Strain

Provincial officials used the ‘Two Sessions’ to request funding and policy backing, as analysts warn of rising fiscal pressure behind the project.

A cargo ship loaded with containers leaves a port in Haikou in China's southern Hainan Province on May 17, 2021. AFP via Getty Images

Officials from China’s island province of Hainan used the regime’s annual “Two Sessions“ political meetings to publicly ask Beijing for additional policy and financial support, less than three months after the launch of new customs operations at the Hainan Free Trade Port.

The request came during an open media session of the Hainan provincial delegation on March 8 in Beijing, according to Chinese state-controlled media Southern Metropolis Daily.