On the coast of the South China Sea, answer to the world with a more open attitude. On December 18, 2025, Hainan Free Trade Port officially launched the island wide lockdown, marking a milestone in China's opening-up to the outside world. Starting today, all 8 ports open to the outside world and 10 "second tier ports" supervision facilities on Hainan Island have been put into use, marking that the more than 30000 square kilometers of Hainan Island has officially become a special area for customs supervision, and a new chapter of "opening up the" first tier "," second tier "management, and freedom within the island" has begun. The construction of Hainan Free Trade Port is a major measure of reform and opening up personally planned, deployed, and promoted by General Secretary Xi Jinping. The official launch of the island wide lockdown is a "key leap" for Hainan Free Trade Port to move towards the highest level of openness. Sealing off is not about closing off, let alone sealing off islands, but about further expanding openness. On that day, the scope of "zero tariff" goods expanded to more than 6600 tax items, and the policy dividend surged with new vitality in the industry. At the Yangpu Port terminal, raw materials and goods from Jingbo (Hainan) New Materials Co., Ltd. are waiting for customs clearance and are expected to enjoy a "zero tariff" tax reduction of nearly 10 million yuan; Sanya Phoenix International Airport, products of Hainan Hairun Pearl Co., Ltd. will enjoy the duty-free policy for processing value-added goods for domestic sales, and will be shipped to Guangzhou. On the first day of customs clearance, it is expected that ports such as Yangpu Port in Hainan and Phoenix International Airport in Sanya will concentrate on importing "zero tariff" goods such as crude oil, medical equipment, aviation materials, and food raw materials, with a total value of over 500 million yuan. Why Hainan? The closure of the entire island is an important milestone in helping the country build a new development pattern. Hainan is located on the gateway connecting the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, serving as a gateway to enter the Chinese market. Against the backdrop of accelerated changes over the past century, the closure operation of Hainan Free Trade Port has special strategic significance. From a small island on the border to the forefront of opening up, Hainan is firmly building an important gateway leading the new era of opening up to the outside world, placing institutional integration and innovation in a prominent position, opening up the front line, and implementing a series of free and convenient entry and exit measures; Control the "second line" and implement precise management of the content that is opened up in the "first line"; Freedom within the island allows for relatively free circulation of various factors within the Hainan Free Trade Port. Steadily promote institutional opening-up and continuously improve the policy and institutional system of free trade ports. What does' sealing off 'mean to ordinary people? Firstly, going on business trips, traveling, and living in Hainan as usual does not require any additional documents. Secondly, for cultural and tourism consumption, there will be a better experience of "buying, buying". Previously, on November 1st, the Hainan offshore duty-free policy was optimized and adjusted, further expanding the types of goods and including some popular products in the duty-free scope, making "global shopping" more convenient and affordable. The closure marks the beginning of a new phase for Hainan Free Trade Port. This open highland is sharing development opportunities with the world through greater openness, becoming a model for China's reform and opening up in the new era. (New Society)