UN coordinator lauds Hainan Free Trade Port model

At a Wednesday conference in Haikou, Hainan province, a senior United Nations official championed the Hainan Free Trade Port as a critical platform for global cooperation and sustainable development, saying it demonstrates that "cooperation—rather than isolation—is the most effective pathway to shared prosperity".

Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China, made the remarks in an opening speech on Wednesday at the China Association of Port-of-Entry Free Trade Port Sub-Council General Assembly and Port Development Exchange Conference.

The event featured the inauguration ceremony of the free trade port branch of the China Association of Port-of-Entry, marking the formal start of its new mission to serve the Hainan FTP's open development.

Chatterjee noted that the free trade port's establishment is "both strategic and timely", especially as global supply chains face reshaping, technological disruption accelerates, and climate challenges intensify.

"Globalization and open trade continue to be powerful engines for shared prosperity, regional stability, and sustainable development," he said, framing the Hainan initiative as a direct response to global fragmentation.

Chatterjee emphasized the FTP's significance beyond economics, calling it a potential accelerator for the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. He described its model of zero tariffs, low taxes, liberalization, and facilitation of cross-border flows and modern regulatory systems as an "ambitious effort" to create one of the world's most open, innovation-driven trade environments.

Positioning Hainan as a future hub for digital trade, smart logistics, and green technology, Chatterjee said its focus on digitalization, artificial intelligence, and blockchain could make it a leader in next-generation solutions.

"Ultimately, the Hainan Free Trade Port is not just an economic initiative," he concluded. "It is a forward-looking model of how openness, sustainability, and innovation can reinforce each other." If developed with sustainability, digital inclusion, and regional partnership at its core, he stated, Hainan could become a global example of how free trade ports contribute to a "greener, more resilient, and more connected world".