China's push for high-quality opening up and the construction of a free trade port in Hainan have given Canning another reason to be optimistic about his restaurant business, which he plans to expand to a larger scale.

"I have a lot of repeat customers, and with a higher number of visitors to the island, I'll also be able to serve customers from all over the world, which helps spread the word about my project," Canning said.

China aims to build the whole of Hainan Island into a globally influential high-level free trade port by the middle of the century. As Hainan becomes more open, Canning expects more opportunities for local people to taste authentic Western-style foods.

"I think it's time to join the free trade port journey and grow together," he said. "I want to be a successful example of how a foreign-owned business can be set up in Hainan and later launched into wider markets."