Invest in Hainan FTP: The Latest Healthcare Policy Update

As the only free trade port in China, the Hainan Free Trade Port (Hainan FTP) is designated as a national-level strategic pilot zone. In June 2025, the “2025 Hainan Free Trade Port Investment Guide”, jointly prepared by the Hainan Provincial Department of Commerce and the Bureau of International Economic Development, was officially released. This article offers a clear, practical breakdown of the guide’s core healthcare-related policies for overseas companies looking to invest in Hainan.

1.Fast-Track Approval for Clinically Urgent Medicine & Device Imports

Policy Value: Accelerates market access and reduces approval time.

Hainan FTP is the first region in China to decentralize the import authority for clinically urgent medical devices—those not yet registered domestically. As a result, the initial approval process now takes just 3-7 business days, significantly faster than the multi-month timeline required in most other regions of China.

Use Case: An innovative medical device already approved in Europe can be introduced to Hainan rapidly. In turn, it can collect real-world clinical data, supporting broader national registration in the future.

2.Simplified Customs Clearance: Simplifying Drug Importation

Policy Value: Reduces complexity and shortens customs clearance time.

Hainan FTP has abolished the requirement for submitting an “Import Drug Customs Declaration”. Companies can now submit the import record before shipment, enabling clearance upon arrival, allowing the policy “medicine arrives and is cleared immediately.” This procedure is currently implemented only in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Hainan.

Example: On January 4, 2023, Qilu Pharmaceutical (Hainan) Co., Ltd. imported 2,750 research-use biopharmaceutical materials from France. The shipment was cleared through Haikou Meilan Airport Customs without the traditional Customs Declaration, saving valuable time.

3. Expanding Usage Scenarios: Patients Can Take Authorized Devices Home

Policy Value: Increases product exposure and expands usage opportunities

Hainan allows patients, after evaluation, to take home imported drugs and medical devices, including oral, topical, and certain injectable drugs, as well as monitoring, rehabilitation, and home-use therapeutic medical devices. The permitted usage period can extend up to 12 weeks, making it especially useful for chronic disease management.

This policy breaks the traditional “in-hospital only” restriction, improving treatment convenience and patient quality of life. It also provides overseas manufacturers with expanded real-world usage opportunities and increases brand exposure.

4. Zero Tariff on Own-Use Production Equipment

Policy Value: Reduces operational costs and optimizes investment.

Companies registered in Hainan that import equipment for their own use are exempt from tariffs, import VAT, and consumption tax, except for goods listed on the negative list. This policy covers various types of equipment for R&D, production, testing, and other purposes, thereby reducing initial investments and production costs for enterprises.

Example: The Hainan Provincial People's Hospital imported a medical device, valued at RMB 4.3 million, which was cleared smoothly at Haikou Meilan Airport Customs, benefiting from a 13% tax reduction.

5.Attracting International Talent: Recognition of Overseas Professional Qualifications

Policy Value: Facilitates the recruitment of international talent and helps build an international team.

Hainan allows foreign professionals to take medical qualification exams in Hainan, and recognizes medical qualifications issued by overseas countries. The qualifications cover categories such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and more, covering over 30 countries and regions. Overseas professional experience is considered equivalent to domestic experience. Once certified, professionals can practice in Hainan.

Currently, only a few regions in China, such as Beijing and Guangzhou, allow foreign professionals to take these exams. In comparison, Hainan has one of the highest levels of openness in the country.

6. New Pathways for Collaboration: Public Hospitals’ Franchising and Socialized Cooperation

Policy Value: Encourages private-public collaboration and commercialized service models.

Hainan permits public hospitals to cooperate with social capital through franchising, allowing them to leverage brand, technology, and management systems. Partners may provide equipment, technology, or financial support and share in the revenue generated from medical services.

This policy provides overseas enterprises with a new channel to access high-quality public medical resources, especially in high-end medical services, specialist clinic, and the commercialization of innovative technologies.

Hainan: Accelerate Market Entry Plan for International Pharma

Hainan is constructing an international healthcare ecosystem through a series of institutional innovations:

Fast Market Entry: Accelerated approval for clinically urgent drugs and medical devices.

Real-World Data: Broader application scenarios in the pilot zone.

Cost Optimization: Advantages in tax systems and simplified customs procedures.

Talent Openness: Comprehensive recognition of overseas professional qualifications.

Cooperation Pathways: Collaboration with public hospital via franchising.

These policies support areas such as drug and medical device access, talent introduction, equipment imports, and hospital cooperation. For companies seeking fast market entry and localized strategy implementation, Hainan is one of the key strategic regions worth focusing on.

As the policies of the Hainan FTP continue to deepen, international enterprises follow official platforms such as the Hainan Provincial Medical Products Administration and the Boao Lecheng Pilot Zone Administration.

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