Located in the far south of China, parallel to the north of Vietnam, Hainan Island offers a tropical climate, white sand beaches, seaside seafood restaurants and visa-free travel for citizens from 59 countries.
China plans to turn the area, about a third of mainland Portugal, into a free zone with a customs system separate from the Chinese mainland.
Some signals from Beijing reveal a paradox: China has introduced a visa-free regime for visitors from several countries and simplified the process for others, but China’s Ministry of State Security repeatedly calls on “the entire society” to identify and deal with foreign spies, creating an environment of suspicion.
Mobile phone messages sent by authorities to residents often warn of the need to “protect state secrets” and “protect the security of the party.” [Comunista]or “together we will build a fortress that will protect national security.”
“A few locals asked me if I was a spy,” said Danny Parrott, a Briton who has lived in China for nearly a decade and recently visited the country after a three-year break caused by the pandemic. “I didn’t feel this way before,” he told Lusa.
The island already hosts the world’s largest duty-free shopping malls and provides access to medical supplies that have not been approved in the rest of the country.
“Our medical care is synchronized with international regulatory authorities,” Chen Tiejun, director of the Hainan Tourism and Culture Bureau, explained to Lusa.
Hainan has invested heavily in infrastructure, including new airports and a high-speed rail line that circles the island in three hours, crossing 650 kilometers filled with mango, coffee and rice fields, mountains, rivers and typical villages.
But these arguments do not seem sufficient to achieve the goal set by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to the island in 2013, when he called on local residents to take advantage of the “green mountains, clean water, sea and blue sky” for construction.” international tourist island.
“It takes time for the perception of China to improve and for foreign friends to consider coming here,” explained Jin Zhou, public relations officer for Atlantis Sanya, an integrated mega-resort located in the beach town of Sanya in southern Hainan, where the number of foreign visitors currently accounts for 3% to 5% of its clientele.
This is a common reality for the rest of the country: official data shows that the number of foreigners visiting China currently remains around 30% of levels in 2019, the last year before the pandemic.
A 2023 poll by the Pew Research Center found that “majorities in Western countries have an unfavorable view of China.”
“The Chinese government’s tightening control over society has the potential to make international travelers uncomfortable,” the study said.
The United States and Australia are warning their citizens to “reconsider travel to mainland China due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws, particularly regarding travel bans, and the risk of unjustified arrests.” In particular, authorities warn of “the risk of arbitrary detention or harsh enforcement of local laws, including broadly defined national security laws.”
Another paradox lies in the Chinese digital ecosystem: China’s e-commerce, logistics services and public transport network are among the most developed on the planet, but there is a barrier known as the “Great Firewall of China” (a pun on the Great Wall). The country’s main bookplate limits its use to non-residents.
VISA or Google Pay payments are rarely available in the country. Social networks including Instagram and Facebook or the Google Maps navigation service are not available.
“When people travel, they don’t want to constantly worry about whether their VISA card will be accepted or not or be left without access to search engines and social networks,” said Stefan, a German who recently traveled to Asia.
“China is the only country where you need to download a number of apps, which may or may not have an English version or may or may not work for foreigners, but are necessary for something as simple as buying a drink,” the tourist also explained from North America.
“For the average person who wants a quiet two-week vacation, it’s not worth it when they can experience Asia in Japan, South Korea, Thailand or Vietnam,” he said.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.