On June 18, China’s Hainan Free Trade Port welcomed its first day of customs closure. According to China News Service, Malaysia’s King of Fruits—durian—went on sale at a supermarket in Haikou, where hundreds of customers lined up to purchase. The 1.5 tons of durian were snapped up within just one hour. Some netizens commented, "It was as lively as a Spring Festival train station."
Haikou supermarket: Prices were half of usual
Chinese media quoted Wanghao Supermarket as saying that on the night of December 17, a Hainan Airlines cargo plane departed from Kuala Lumpur carrying 1.5 tons of top-grade Musang King durians freshly picked that morning. The flight arrived in Haikou in the early hours of the 18th and was stocked at Haikou Wanghao Supermarket, priced at less than half the regular price.
According to CNR (China National Radio), at dawn on December 18, with the arrival of the Hainan Airlines cargo plane at Haikou Meilan International Airport, Hainan Free Trade Port’s "first-line opening"—the first cross-border direct-sourcing batch of fresh produce—was successfully completed.
This batch of 1.5 tons of top-grade Malaysian Musang King durian will be stocked at the fresh food supermarket of HNA Cargo’s ‘Flying Fresh Taste’ base at Meilan and distributed to large supermarkets across Haikou city.
An HNA Cargo representative stated that the company will leverage the advantages of the new HNA main base and existing route network to continuously expand overseas fresh direct sourcing, allowing domestic consumers to quickly enjoy high-quality global fresh produce at more competitive prices and helping build Hainan Free Trade Port into a regional international fresh food distribution center.
According to Wanghao Supermarket staff around 3:40 p.m. on the 18th, this was the first batch of durians after the customs closure. When sales began at noon, a long line of customers quickly formed. The durians were extremely popular, and even those at the end of the queue were uncertain if they could buy one.
It is understood that after customs closure, the policies of "zero tariff, low tax rate, and simplified taxation" will be gradually implemented. According to policy arrangements, the "zero tariff" product list has been greatly expanded from over 1,900 items to 6,637, covering 74% of product categories including beauty, home appliances, health products, etc.—an increase of 53% compared to before the closure.
For island residents, this means the cost of purchasing imported goods will decrease further, and the "buy-and-pick-up" model will make shopping more convenient.
For off-island tourists, although the annual duty-free limit remains RMB 100,000 (about RM 58,000), the range of duty-free goods is broader and the shopping experience more user-friendly.