In 2022, the Changsha area of the China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone was selected as one of the top ten national parks for high-quality development, reform and innovation, with the total import and export volume exceeding 100 billion yuan.

Changsha’s actual use of foreign capital and the growth rate of actual foreign investment ranked first among the capital cities in central China. Changsha was rated as a hot investment city in China.
The total number of China-Europe freight train (Changsha) trips exceeded 1,000, ranking at the forefront in China.

In the face of new opportunities for development, Changsha has strengthened market entities, built platforms and expanded channels, in an effort to build a hub of reform and opening-up in inland areas and inject strong impetus for high-quality development.

180 world’s top 500 enterprises settled in Changsha

In 2022, the World Economic Forum released the new list of global “lighthouse factories”. The factory of BOSCH (one of the world’s top 500 enterprises from Germany) in Changsha was on the list. Bosch Automotive Products (Changsha) Co., Ltd. has successively carried out four phases of construction in 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2016, with a total investment of more than 2.5 billion yuan.

Up to now, 180 world’s top 500 enterprises have settled in Changsha to develop their business, like Germany’s BASF, Japan’s AEON, Britain’s Prudential, Netherlands’s Shell and France’s VEOLIA.

In recent years, Changsha has opened wider to the world and has established trade relations with over 200 countries and regions in the world.

According to the statistics of the Changsha Municipal Bureau of Commerce, in 2022, the city’s actual use of foreign capital hit 3.085 billion US dollars, ranking first among the capital cities in central China. The actual foreign investment reached 1 billion US dollars, accounting for 80% of the total of Hunan Province and also ranking first among the capital cities in central China.

On December 21, 2022, a new batch of Sany’s SY980H excavators arrived in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, for the construction of the country’s largest copper mine.

In the first nine months of 2022, Sany Heavy Industry realized an international sales revenue of 25.88 billion yuan, up 43.7% year on year. Meanwhile, Sany Heavy Industry’s excavator market share in the world increased rapidly, with the overseas market share exceeding 8%. In the United States, Britain, Italy and other major overseas excavator markets, its sales revenue showed a rapid growth of more than 60%. Sany Group has expanded overseas markets with its quality products.

In 2022, despite various uncertainties at home and abroad, Changsha’s foreign trade market gradually recovered.

According to statistics issued by Customs, from January to November 2022, Changsha’s total foreign trade import and export value reached 301.64 billion yuan, an increase of 25.6% over the same period last year.

Changsha’s import and export to countries along the “the Belt and Road” amounted to 115.25 billion yuan, up 48.2%. Its import and export to Africa hit 22.39 billion yuan, a growth of 79.1%.

Mechanical and electrical products, especially high-tech products, have become a new engine to drive Changsha’s export growth. From January to November 2022, Changsha exported 98.98 billion yuan of electromechanical products, an increase of 28.5%, accounting for 43.9% of Changsha’s total export value.

Changsha Area selected as one of “Top Ten Parks"

On November 29, 2022, at the signing ceremony of major projects of the Changsha area of the China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone, 15 major projects were signed, with a total investment of 50.65 billion yuan.

SEG, a company producing automobile parts from Germany, entered the Chinese market in 2004. Its China headquarters and R&D center are located in Changsha Economic and Technological Development Zone.

“We chose to settle in the Changsha area because of its fast transportation network, vigorous economic growth momentum, excellent educational resources, rich talent pool and high-quality business environment,” said Sun Guozhong, president of Seg Automotive Products (China) Co., Ltd.

Since 2022, Changsha’s open platforms have been able to provide more support for economic development.

The Changsha area was listed as one of the top ten national parks for high-quality development, reform and innovation, with its system innovation index rising 6 places nationwide.

From January to November 2022, the total import and export volume reached 118.1 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 44.86%. 100 new projects were introduced, with a total investment of 108.495 billion yuan. 7,459 new enterprises were established, with a year-on-year growth of 35.2%.

Among the 21 pilot free trade zones in China, Hunan Pilot Free Trade Zone is the only one entrusted with the task of promoting deep economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa.

On October 29, 2022, during the 23rd Central China Agricultural Expo held in Changsha, more than 150 kinds of beautifully packaged African goods caught the eyes of consumers.

The Changsha area has taken the lead in carrying out such pilot projects as local currency settlement for trade with Africa, building a China-Africa cross-border RMB center, and promoting Africa’s brand products to enter major shopping malls in China.

Relying on the pilot zone for deep economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa and the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, Changsha is making every effort to create a new mode of trade with Africa in inland areas.

In the first 11 months of 2022, The Changsha area realized 8.14 billion yuan of import and export to Africa, with a year-on-year rise of 211.5%. The first “China-Africa Evaluation Base” and “Plant Extract Evaluation Base” in China settled in Changsha.

With one pilot free trade zone, two areas under the special supervision of Customs, six functional ports, seven major international foreign trade transformation and upgrading bases, etc., Changsha has the largest number of platforms among the capital cities in Central and Western China.

The city has established new retail innovation reform pilot sites of “cross-border e-commerce plus bonded exhibition”. The cross-border e-commerce transaction volume increased by 30% year on year. The construction of overseas parks such as China-Brazil Agricultural Science and Technology Industrial Park has been progressing steadily.

China-Europe freight train (Changsha) trips reached 1,012

In 2022, the total number of trips of China-Europe freight trains (Changsha) loaded with products made by local manufacturers hit 113, up 25.56% year on year.

Since this year, the overseas market of construction machinery has shown a momentum of long-term stability. Changsha’s international marketing of “intelligent manufacturing” has been gathering pace.

CRE (Changsha) has cooperated with a large number of enterprises such as Sany Heavy Industry, Zoomlion and SUNWARD to launch “customized trains”. Moreover, logistics transportation solutions during the whole journey have been offered to effectively ensure the stability of the international industrial supply chain.

From January to November 2022, the import and export of construction machinery in Changsha reached 14.42 billion yuan, an increase of 108.6%.

CRE (Changsha) has continued to open new routes. In 2022, three new routes of Changsha-Latvia, Changsha-Mongolia and Western Europe-Changsha were added. The number of regular routes increased to 14, becoming the “golden channel” for stabilizing the global supply chain.

In 2022, CRE (Changsha) operated 1,012 China-Europe freight train trips, with 547 export trips and 465 import trips. The value of goods reached 2.539 billion US dollars and the weight of goods hit 711,500 tons, ranking among the top cities for four consecutive years.

China-Europe freight trains (Changsha) is part of Changsha’s effort to promote the higher-standard opening-up and establish a global logistics network.

Through the sea-land-air transportation network, Changsha has stepped up its integration into the world economic and trade system.

Recently, At Huanghua International Airport, a cargo plane full of prepackaged food flew directly from Changsha to Ethiopia in Africa. It is the first time that enterprises of Changsha have exported prepackaged food to African countries. This batch of goods will become the best-selling products in African countries during the New Year.

In 2022, 120 flights have been operated along the “Changsha-Addis Ababa” cargo route, the first cargo flight route to Africa from Hunan province, with a total of 4,800 tons of goods. More high-quality African products have reached Chinese consumers, and more products made in Hunan have entered the African market.

In 2022, Changsha opened 7 new international air cargo routes. The cargo and mail distribution center was put into operation. An international cargo route network connecting five continents has been established.

At Xianing Port, trucks were busy shuttling back and forth to transport containers, with the annual container throughput reaching 200,000 TEUs.

Relying on the convenient sea, land and air transportation, Changsha will open its door wider to the world and promote rapid development of its foreign trade.