China bets on Hainan duty-free shopping mecca to boost spending at home
- China has increased duty-free shopping limits for mainland tourists visiting Hainan as part of its free-trade port plan
- Beijing hopes it can transform the island into a shopping hub that will compete with centres in Japan and Europe
This is the second story in a three-part series examining China’s plan to transform Hainan into an internationally influential ‘free-trade port’, as Beijing faces what it perceives to be an increasingly hostile international environment. You can read the first story in the series here.
Steve Li browses through racks of clothing at a comfortably air-conditioned shopping centre in tropical Hainan, stopping occasionally to check price tags for luxury brands ranging from Prada to Giorgio Armani.
Touted as “the world’s largest duty-free mall”, the Sanya Begonia Bay International Shopping Centre is at the forefront of a push by Beijing to turn the island into a global shopping destination that may tempt Chinese to splurge at home, rather than abroad.
While Li, who is from Shanghai, said Hainan was still no match for Japan or Europe, it was a good backup.
“I’ve already spent about 10,000 yuan (US$1,421) in this mall,” said Li, who was holidaying in Sanya because the coronavirus had made international travel nearly impossible.
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