Yangpu port exemplifies China's opening-up 30 years on

HAIKOU -- In the 1980s, Yangpu was the backwater of 25,000 fishermen and farmers mired in prolonged drought and grinding poverty.

Located in the northwestern part of the island province of Hainan in south China, the 30 sq-km region features a harsh natural environment, with an arid climate, little rainfall, and poor soil.

For resident Pu Jiexun, life's difficulties were beyond description.

"In the past, Yangpu was very poor. There was nothing but rocks and cactuses," said Pu, 69. "Only small dirt tracks connected villages, and they were too bumpy and difficult to walk through."

But little did Pu know that this was all set to change.

China approved the establishment of the Yangpu Economic Development Zone in 1992 to power the development of the island. As a national-level development zone, Yangpu attracted foreign investment and enjoyed preferential policies for bonded areas.

Three decades on, development has skyrocketed in the area, and Yangpu now administers a planned area of 114.7 square kilometers, with a population of about 100,000.

Yangpu's development has picked up speed in recent years, especially as the Hainan free trade port (FTP) construction gains steam.

"In the past two years, huge changes have occurred in the economic development zone," said Zou Guang, mayor of Danzhou City, where Yangpu is located. "I believe the zone will have a bright future."

As an opening-up pilot zone, Yangpu is taking the lead in implementing the FTP's preferential policies, such as tariff reduction and exemption.

AUSCA International Oils and Grains Co., Ltd., for example, operates Hainan's first grain and oil processing project with an annual output of 1 million tonnes.

"The favorable policies in the Hainan FTP and Yangpu have given us incredible business opportunities," said Zhang Hui, general manager of the company, located within the Yangpu bonded harbor under the Yangpu Economic Development Zone. "I think I made the right decision to come to Yangpu."

By the end of March, the Yangpu bonded harbor had attracted 2,820 registered companies, including 1,986 companies registered in 2021.

"As the Hainan FTP construction went underway, companies flooded in, and various projects kicked off," said local official Wang Jianqin. "The situation at the bonded area reflected the changes in the development zone."

Last year, the development zone's GDP stood at 43.7 billion yuan (6.86 billion U.S. dollars), in comparison with 63 million yuan in 1992.

"I believe Yangpu will have a promising future, and people here will live better lives," said Pu Jiexun.