Hunan's economic and trade cooperation with other Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies has grown increasingly close. Eight of Hunan's top ten trading partners are APEC member economies, announced by the Changsha Customs Authority on October 31, 2025. In the first three quarters of this year, Hunan's imports and exports with other APEC economies reached 218.13 billion CNY, accounting for 55% of the province's total foreign value during the same period.

Hunan has maintained a consistent trade surplus with other APEC economies. During the January-September period, Hunan's trade volume with Hong Kong SAR, the United States, and Malaysia ranked the top three among those APEC economies, collectively accounting for 36.3% of the provincial total trade with other APEC economies. During the same period, Hunan's imports and exports to Vietnam and Indonesia increased 35% and 34.2% respectively, while trade with Papua New Guinea rose 91.5%. Among Hunan's exports to other APEC economies, machinery and electrical products contributed 52.4% to the province's total export value during the same period. Exports of the "new three"—new energy vehicles (NEVs), lithium-ion batteries, and photovoltaic products surged 161%.

The Changsha Customs Authority suggested foreign trade enterprises precisely align with national strategies, proactively integrating Hunan's local development needs with China's initiatives under the APEC framework. The enterprises should pay attention to open economy, connectivity, innovation-driven development, and green growth, to secure more pilot projects and policy support. They should strengthen the global expansion of competitive industries, leveraging the "Hunan's intelligent manufacturing" brand in engineering machinery, rail transit, and new energy to deepen industrial chain and supply chain cooperation with APEC members.

This article is from the Hunan Provincial Government www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Yu Jiangjiang

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn