What changed
Since Hainan began island-wide customs closure on 18 December 2025, Haikou Customs has supervised 120 million yuan in pearl-processing products sold domestically through the island’s value-added processing policy.
The policy lets qualifying businesses move finished goods off the island through the “second line” without paying import duty on eligible processing value. Hainan Baoji Jewelry, which received AEO certification in September, recently cleared a pearl shipment worth more than 90 million yuan at Sanya airport.
Why it matters
The arithmetic is the point. Imported pearl inputs face a stated 21% tariff calculation when the exemption does not apply. A 700,000-yuan shipment could therefore save more than 140,000 yuan in tax under the policy.
That gives Hainan’s pearl businesses room to turn imported material into higher-value jewelry before selling it into domestic markets. It also makes customs compliance part of the business strategy. Haikou Customs is helping companies handle eligibility records, ERP data, value-added calculations and declarations, while simulating the movement and inspection of goods through the airport.
AEO certification adds another advantage for Baoji Jewelry: priority handling, fewer inspections and faster service. In practical terms, the policy is not just lowering a bill at the border. It is trying to make the entire route from imported pearl to finished necklace or ornament more predictable.
The useful reading is cautious but clear: Hainan’s customs framework is beginning to produce measurable commercial activity for pearl processors. Whether that pace continues, and how large a share of the island’s wider jewelry industry this represents, remains uncertain.
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