Regional Insights from China, April 2021

The island’s (Hainan) offshore duty-free sales are likely to exceed 60 billion yuan ($9.15 billion NZD) in 2021, up from 30 billion yuan last year. The categories of duty-free goods have also been expanded from 38 to 45. This is a good chance for high priced New Zealand products to access the China market and seize the momentum.

As part of the Hainan project in Lingshui, one of the key zones in Hainan’s Free Trade Port, workers have been in a race against time to prepare a education campus as part of a pilot area for a new model of international education. So far 16 prestigious universities from China and overseas, including Coventry University from the United Kingdom and the University of Alberta in Canada, have decided to host education programs at the campus. 

The Hainan FTP is pushing itself to become one of the world’s top places for international education. New Zealand’s education providers will benefit from exploring this opportunity. Even private institutions such as outdoor sport academies (eg. golf and surfing) could be in great demand in the future.