In 2025, Ningxiang's actual outbound investment exceeded 1.5 billion USD, accounting for 59.46% of Changsha City's total and 45.89% of Hunan Province's total. This inland county-level city has become the main driver of provincial outbound investment, the fruit of years of steady effort.

"Going global not only brings financial returns but also helps enterprises see the gap with top-tier peers and gain a foothold in new markets," said Tang Yue, chairman of Truking Technology. In April 2017, Truking Technology, together with its shareholders, acquired the century-old German pharmaceutical machinery company Romaco for approximately 150 million EUR. This was the largest merger in the global pharmaceutical equipment sector at the time. When reporters visited Truking's R&D center and factory, they saw clients from various countries gathered around accompanying engineers, asking detailed questions about the products and equipment on display.

Overseas clients visit the Truking Ingenuity, a subsidiary of Truking Technology. (Photo provided by the interviewee)

Last November, Sinoboom Intelligent Equipment put a production line into operation at its 280-mu (18.67 ha.) aerial work platform factory in Silao City, Guanajuato State of central Mexico. This was Sinoboom's second overseas manufacturing center, following its first plant in Poland. In 2025, the company's overseas revenue accounted for over 40% of its total revenue.

Over the past decade, inspired by Ningxiang's leading enterprises that first ventured abroad, "going global" has become a common choice for many Ningxiang-based companies.

CNGR Group has established multiple raw material bases in Indonesia, employing 12,000 local workers. The company uses its Morocco base to reach into European and American markets, forming a chain of mining in resource-rich countries and manufacturing close to consumer nations. "In 2018, CNGR's Ningxiang Industrial Base officially began production. Driven by the rapid development of the new energy vehicle market, the company's core products such as ternary precursors and Cobaltosic oxide have consistently ranked first globally in shipments for many years," said Peng Guowei, deputy general manager of CNGR's Ningxiang Industrial Base. He added that the success in Ningxiang gave the company the confidence to extend its industrial chain overseas.

The factory building‌s of Hunan CNGR New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (Drone Photo/Chen Zeguo, Xinhua)

At the production workshop of Pengbo New Materials, lithium battery cathode material products are being manufactured methodically on automated production lines. Zuo Guofeng, deputy general manager of the company, told reporters that amidst rapidly growing overseas demand for energy storage, the company established a controlling subsidiary in Germany in 2023, to explore new growth points for its energy storage products.

Nowadays, Ningxiang's "path to global markets" extends from products to production lines, brands, and supply chains, becoming increasingly adept at "knowing how to go global." Cluster-based development is one of the core reasons this inland county-level city can venture further overseas.

Although there are no minerals explored in Ningxiang, a mining machinery industrial cluster has "grown" here. In 2025, the total output value of 112 Ningxiang-based enterprises reached 9.846 billion CNY, with products exported to over 80 countries. From wear-resistant materials and core components to complete host machines, upstream and downstream enterprises are neighbors within the industrial park, with a local supporting rate exceeding 70%. Ning Xing, securities director of Sinoboom Intelligent Equipment, noted that the company has actively promoted the model of "Hunan supply chain collaborative going global." Leveraging its two major bases in Mexico and Poland, Sinoboom is building a platform for coordinated industrial chain internationalization, guiding supporting enterprises upstream and downstream to "go global" together.

Robotic arms are busy grabbing equipment components at the aerial work platform production workshop of Hunan Sinoboom Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. (Photo/Chen Sihan, Xinhua)

At the same time, the role of the local government is also evolving.

Ningxiang has organized over 200 entities to form a "go global" industrial alliance, led by supply chain leaders with supporting linkages, enabling the entire chain to jointly offer solutions. Since 2024, the Ningxiang Federation of Industry and Commerce has also coordinated and organized multiple overseas study missions, guiding numerous local enterprises to conduct field research in Africa. An official in charge of the Ningxiang Federation of Industry and Commerce explained that establishing an alliance to venture overseas as a group allows for offering integrated, complete solutions to overseas clients. This will also lower the barrier for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to go global, continuously expanding the overseas influence of "Ningxiang Manufacturing."

Simultaneously, Ningxiang has set up a comprehensive foreign trade service platform, integrating qualification processing, policy interpretation, logistics and customs clearance, and compliance guidance into one-stop services. It implements a "dedicated team for each enterprise" approach for leading enterprises and promotes a "breakthrough campaign" for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. According to statistics, in the first half of this year, another 27 enterprises in Ningxiang took their first steps in foreign trade, and 26 enterprises achieved a doubling of their foreign trade volume.

The fundamental reason behind Ningxiang's success in going global lies in its people. Reporters learned that in the first half of this year, Ningxiang's trade volume with Africa reached 560 million CNY. Behind this, a large number of Ningxiang people rooted themselves years ago in countries like Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, leading to the widespread establishment of mining machinery and infrastructure supporting enterprises. These people serve both as resources for attracting investment and as guides for the industry's global expansion.

Chinese source: Xinhua