The Hainan Free Trade Port is set to play an increasingly pivotal role in linking China with the vast markets of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, injecting fresh impetus into global economic growth amid rising trade headwinds, experts said.

Underscoring Hainan FTP's role as a key gateway advancing China's opening-up drive in the new era, they said the island's strategic geographic position at the center of the RCEP region and preferential trade policies will create new opportunities for cooperation in supply chains and services trade.

The remarks were made at a sub-forum of the 2026 RCEP Media & Think Tank Forum in Haikou, Hainan province.

Zhao Jinping, vice-president of the China Association of Trade in Services, said Hainan FTP will serve as a stress test field for China's high-level opening-up, against the backdrop of escalating global geopolitical uncertainties and rising trade protectionism.

"As its institutional and policy frameworks continue to improve, Hainan will evolve into a crucial hub enabling enterprises to tap into new investment and trade opportunities across the bloc of RCEP, the largest free trade agreement in the world," Zhao said.

Tu Xinquan, director of the China Institute for WTO Studies at the University of International Business and Economics, said the RCEP has become a vital force in sustaining global trade. For instance, direct China-US economic ties have weakened due to geopolitical factors, while the indirect trade links, especially through the RCEP, are on the rise, he said.

"As a frontier and test bed for China's reform and opening-up, Hainan can act as a core hub connecting the Chinese mainland with other RCEP members, much like Singapore and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have facilitated exchanges between the Chinese mainland and Western countries," Tu said.

Bigger role

Guo Da, executive president of the Hainan Institute for Free Trade Port Studies, said high-level free trade ports such as Hainan can play a bigger role as the RCEP cooperation deepens. Currently, about 40 percent of Hainan's foreign trade flows to RCEP member economies, he noted.

Driven by unified RCEP rules and Hainan's free trade port policies, trade between Hainan and RCEP members has grown at an annual average rate of over 20 percent in recent years, he said.

Nicholas Kwan, deputy head of the chief executive's policy unit of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said: "Hong Kong has long aspired to join the RCEP and looks forward to cooperating with Hainan to achieve a 'one plus one greater than two' effect.

"Hong Kong can be a great partner for Hainan. For instance, in the commercial space sector, Hong Kong's financial and service strengths can be effectively aligned with Hainan's Wenchang commercial space launch site to facilitate cooperation," Kwan said.

Kim Do-hoon, former president of the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade, said that to give full play to Hainan's potential, more efforts are needed to cultivate local industries such as transport, and attract more big companies to invest in the island.

Zhu Jianmin, chairman of Oxiranchem Group, said: "The Hainan FTP's tax policies, unique geographic location and logistics advantages have enabled us to source raw materials globally and target ASEAN markets effectively."

Contact the writers at masi@chinadaily.com.cn.