In China, the process of reform and opening up is ongoing and never-ending. The construction of a free trade port in Hainan is a major strategic decision made by the CPC Central Committee to promote the innovative development of socialism with Chinese characteristics in light of domestic and international circumstances. Six years after construction on the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) began, the island province has become one of China's most open, attractive, and dynamic regions.

Josef Gregory Mahoney, an American scholar who has lived and worked in China for years, is a professor and doctoral supervisor at East China Normal University and vice dean of the school’s Singularity Institute of Politics. He has long integrated himself into the tide of China's reform and opening up. Like many other foreign experts, he is a witness and participant in China's great reform and opening up journey, serving as an envoy of friendship linking China and the world. What's his view on China's progress in reform and opening up? How does he evaluate the significance of the Hainan FTP?

HIMC reporter Audrey traveled to Shanghai to put these questions to Professor Mahoney. He believes Hainan is naturally well-suited to becoming a free trade port and boasts unique advantages in connecting China with the huge ASEAN market. In the current era of deglobalization, the construction of the Hainan FTP holds special significance, serving an important role in China's overall reform and opening up and the continued promotion of globalization.