I was in Haikou, the capital of Hainan last month, attending an all-important RCEP event. It was my very first time to the famous Hainan island, where the good old General Aung San and his thirty associates got military training by Japan, to start the rebellion against the British imperialists.
The very first thing of surprise in Hainan was that the airport was rather underwhelming unlike most other Airports in China. Even in the departure lounge, the number of shops can be counted with two hands. May be going through a process of renovation perhaps or this could be a justifiable reason why the government might want more events there in order to attract more visitors.
Along the way from the Airport to the event venue, I could not help but notice lots of empty green lands where coconut trees stand out among the shrubs and bushes. First, along the route from the airport into the city, you will normally see a fully-developed China and every single piece of land being used up or developed up to its maximum potential. Yet, Haikou has so much empty terra firma. May be it is still a second tier city and development has not gotten that intensive yet, or may be a preservation of nature in the capital city of an island province. Second the abundance of coconut trees – if I was asked what would be the most common tree in Hainan prior to the visit, I would not have thought of coconuts. The flora and fauna is so typical of a tropical island and totally not reflective of those in more temperate climate, or in mainland China itself. And it is reflected in the local snacks of Hainan. Almost all snacks I bought in the departure lounge shops to brought back home, got coconut in them.
As usual with the rest of Chinese cities, the roads are wide, green and clean. Most vehicles on the roads are EVs, most of them relatively new.
Weather
The weather also is surprisingly that of a typical tropical island. The temperature is nice and warm. A month prior to the Hainan trip, I was in Kunming, Chengdu and Urumqi and a jacket to protect oneself from the elements was a must. But all these warm clothing became redundant when we reach Hainan. The temperature is on the warmer side with noticeable humidity, especially during the afternoons.
The famous cuisine
The most famous food from Hainan is undoubtedly the Hainanese chicken rice so popular in Nanyang. Having stayed in Singapore and travelled around Malaysia for more than a decade, I have taken in more than my faire share of chicken rice. And based on assimilation, hat my tastebuds have adjusted so much to the Nanyang version, rather than the original Hainan type. In Hainan variety, the meat chunks are a lot larger and the chicken is slightly bloodier. Both version tasted equally good.
Rcep
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership or RCEP is a free trade agreement (FTA) among 15 Asia-Pacific countries, including all 10 ASEAN member states and their FTA partners: Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand – also known as ASEAN plus 5. It is the world’s largest free trade agreement by GDP. It was born after US excluded China through certain rules in its Trans-Pacific Partnership and eventually pulling out of it. Lack of a major sponsor and leadership has lead to TPP becoming a laggard and RCEP taking centre stage as an all important regional grouping.
Myanmar has a long way to go to catch up with regional economies and to take advantage of the reduced trade barriers and economic ties among its members. The event in Hainan bringing its members together is a good start in the right direction where the grouping can be promoted in the respective home countries to enhance awareness and opportunities for businesses and SMEs.