His Excellency Dr. Ali Mohammed Al-Khouri, President of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy, was selected as a member of the International Advisory Council of the Hainan Free Trade Port in the People’s Republic of China, at the official invitation of the Hainan Provincial Government and the local leadership of the ruling Chinese party.
The announcement of Dr. Al-Khoury’s membership came during an official ceremony held in Hainan Province, China, in the presence of His Excellency Feng Fei, Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Committee in Hainan Province, and a number of senior government officials and representatives of international and global institutions participating in the Council’s membership.
The Hainan Free Trade Port International Advisory Council is a high-level international advisory platform comprising 61 members, including leading business figures, decision-makers, and international experts representing the finance, investment, technology, energy, aviation, logistics, international consulting, chambers of commerce, international organizations, think tanks, and public policy sectors. The Council provides strategic insights and recommendations to support the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port and solidify its position as a global hub for trade, investment, and innovation.
Dr. Al-Khoury was chosen based on his experience in the fields of digital government, digital economy, technology policies, international work, and the development of strategies and future visions, in addition to his participation in digital transformation initiatives at the regional and international levels.
The Hainan Free Trade Port is one of the largest economic projects launched by China in recent years, aiming to transform Hainan Province into a global center for trade, investment, the digital economy and modern services, within a vision that aims to compete with the most prominent Asian trade and logistics centers such as Hong Kong and Singapore.
The project spans an area of approximately 35,000 square kilometers, making it one of the largest free zones in the world. It focuses on the sectors of free trade, international investment, artificial intelligence, advanced technology, logistics, tourism, healthcare, and green development, in addition to providing extensive facilities for the movement of goods, capital, people, and data.
The project also includes broad customs exemptions for about 74% of goods, allowing products manufactured in Hainan to enter the Chinese market duty-free when they achieve a local added value exceeding 30%.
For his part, His Excellency Dr. Atef Helmy, Chairman of the General Assembly of the Federation, said that this step opens up wider areas of cooperation with Chinese and international institutions in the fields of digital economy, technology and Asian markets, and provides opportunities to benefit from international partnerships in supporting Arab vision projects for the digital economy and future development initiatives.
