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China’s Hainan announces airport upgrade, tunnel plan to enhance transport links with the Greater Bay Area
- Authorities hope to create an ‘outer island circle’ to enable travel between Hainan and the Greater Bay Area within one and a half hours
- The draft plan proposes a new sea crossing between Hainan and Guangdong province, an airport upgrade and high-speed railway
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China’s southernmost island province of Hainan has issued a draft plan to strengthen transport links with the Greater Bay Area, aimed at turning the nascent free-trade port into a transport hub for the south of the country.
Authorities hope to create an “outer island circle” that will enable travel between Hainan and the technology-driven megalopolis within one and a half hours, access to regions beyond the Greater Bay within three to four hours, and global connectivity in one day.
Beijing announced plans in 2020 to transform Hainan into the world’s largest free-trade port, creating a centre for offshore financing and duty-free shopping that will lure tourists and businesses with an internationally competitive tax regime and relaxed visa requirements.
Fixing its transport connections with the Greater Bay Area, an economic powerhouse encompassing nine cities in Guangdong province, plus Hong Kong and Macau, is likely to be critical to its success.
The draft transport plan, which was issued by the provincial government in Haikou last week, has proposed developing the Haikou Meilan International Airport into a global aviation hub covering the Pacific and Indian Oceans, with a target of 60 million passengers per year by 2035 and 100 million by 2050.
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