In April 1988, a new province of China, Hainan Province, was born. Meanwhile, the State Council listed the province as a special economic zone-the youngest as well as the largest in China. The past 20 years have witnessed the province achieving significant economic and social progress. Tourism has become one of its pillar industries. With its sky opened to the world and a free trade zone being planned, Hainan has become one of the most energetic areas of China.

Luo Baoming, Governor of Hainan Province, spoke to Beijing Review and shared his views on the island's development in the past 20 years and its future orientation and development programs.

Beijing Review: you have been working in Hainan since July 2007. What does Hainan look like in your eyes?

Hainan is a special economic zone (SEZ) with great potential. It was one of the most poverty-stricken areas of Guangdong Province with weak economic foundations 20 years ago. The past two decades have seen its gross domestic product (GDP) increase nearly nine times and the fiscal revenue of the local government grow over 50 times. Earth-shaking changes have also taken place in its urban and rural areas. The province has evolved from a closed remote island to a prosperous economic hub.

Hainan is also a paradise for starting up enterprises, full of opportunities. To be objective, 20 years of relentless efforts have blessed the island with conditions and foundations for a new round of rapid development. Especially in recent years, it has played a more and more important role in promoting the development of the pan-Pearl River Delta region, the Beibu Gulf rim, the China ASEAN Free Trade Zone, the rest of Asia and even the world as a whole. It also faces many new opportunities for further development. For investors, it is a wonderland endowed with inexhaustible vitality, opportunities and hopes.