China's rocket boom and Hainan's rise

China is building out a commercial spaceport at Wenchang on Hainan's northeastern coast, where launch towers now rise above the island's coconut-palm coastline as part of Beijing's push to establish a full aerospace ecosystem. Factories, supercomputing centres and satellite businesses are springing up around the site as officials try to diversify Hainan's economy, long dependent on tourism and consumer services, into a hub for rocket launches and related industry.

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As it ran

17 September 2026

• In Focus | China’s rocket boom turns Hainan into space hub. Can launches fuel wider growth? South China Morning Post
• How China is turning Hainan from a tourist island into a major aerospace hub South China Morning Post
• In Focus | China’s rocket recovery was a space race milestone. Is a relaunch within reach? South China Morning Post

16 September 2026

• China’s rocket boom turns Hainan into space hub. Can launches fuel wider growth? South China Morning Post