An Open Future! Hainan Media Tour Kicks Off in Haikou

The launch ceremony of "An Open Future—A Media Tour of Hainan for Representatives of International Media Organizations and Social Media Personalities" was held in Haikou, the capital of south China’s Hainan Province, on November 27.

The opening ceremony of "An Open Future—A Media Tour of Hainan for Representatives of International Media Organizations and Social Media Personalities" held in Haikou on Nov. 27. (Photo: Liu Yang / Hinews)

Over the next five days, a group composed of reporters from central media outlets such as People's Daily Online, Huanqiu.com, China.com.cn, China Daily, and international media organizations of more than 20 provinces and cities in China, as well as overseas communication officers and international social media personalities from over 20 countries including the UK, Pakistan, and Russia, will traverse six of Hainan's cities and counties, visit major projects and key industrial parks, and go deep into the tropical rainforest and beautiful countryside to share with the world the vitality of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP).

The tour will give invited guests the chance to admire the achievements made by the world's largest free trade port, witness its vigorous, high-quality development, and gain a sense of China's determination and confidence as it expands its efforts to open up. Their first stop is to Haikou Jiangdong New Area where they learn about the investment policies and industrial development of the FTP's airport and headquarters economies. Later in the itinerary, the group will visit other key parks and locations, including Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, Lingshui Li'an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone, Sanya International Duty-Free City, Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City, and the Port of Yangpu, to witness up close Hainan's thriving development.

The opening ceremony also featured a special promotional presentation on the Hainan FTP and the appointment of thirteen new Hainan FTP "Overseas Communications Officers" (OCOs). The new OCOs, from the USA, the UK, Russia, France, Italy, Pakistan, and other countries, will join other OCOs in helping spread the stories of Hainan and China and serving as bridges of friendship linking the Hainan FTP and the world. Arina Yakupova (Russian host of Shanghai Daily), Jeremy Grinan (a French photographer living in Hainan for over a decade), and Lara Netherlands (English host of Hainan International Media Center) shared their stories and bonds with Hainan at the ceremony.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the Hainan Province and Special Economic Zone and the fifth year since the Hainan FTP came into being. As a banner bearer and crucial gateway of China's continued opening up in the new era, Hainan is a key locale for the practice of Chinese modernization and a wellspring of China's reform and opening-up success stories. It is also an important window through which the world can better understand China.

This media tour of Hainan is funded by the China Internet Development Foundation (CIDF).