The 2026 Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference Between Hunan and the Belt and Road Business Community was held in Changsha on May 13. The event was attended by business community representatives from ten countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative including Argentina, Ethiopia, South Africa, Turkey, and Uzbekistan, as well as representatives from over 200 Hunan-based enterprises, industrial parks, and institutions. They engaged in targeted matchmaking sessions focusing on advanced manufacturing, modern agriculture, green and low-carbon development, and industry-education integration, with the aim of jointly exploring opportunities for cooperative development.

At the event, representatives from five foreign organizations—including the Economic Chamber of North-West Macedonia; the Business Council of Mongolia; the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Namangan Region, Uzbekistan; the Gambia Youth Chamber of Commerce, and the Federal Investment Council—took turns presenting their countries' investment environments and industrial opportunities. Representatives from eight Hunan-based enterprises and industrial parks—including the Changsha Economic and Technological Development Zone, the Chenzhou Area of the Hunan Pilot Free Trade Zone, Hunan Jinlord Electronics Co., Ltd., Wenye Group, and Sinocare Biosensor Co., Ltd.—took the stage to showcase Hunan's strengths and potential in advanced manufacturing, electronic information, biopharmaceuticals, and new energy. 

At the meeting, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Hunan Sub-council signed memorandums of understanding with business associations from countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, including the Economic Chamber of North-West Macedonia, the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce, and the Business Council of Mongolia. The parties will establish regular mechanisms for information exchange, mutual group visits, and cooperation on trade fairs.

Yang Aiyun, chairwoman of CCPIT Hunan Sub-council, noted that the event would serve as an opportunity to deepen practical cooperation with various countries in the following four key areas:
-- Strengthen cooperation in advanced manufacturing to promote the export of more "Made in Hunan" construction machinery products and electric locomotives, and to participate in railway, highway, port, and energy projects in various countries; 

-- Deepen cooperation in modern agriculture by leveraging Hunan's cost-effective agricultural machinery and actively sharing cultivation techniques to jointly build agricultural industrial parks; 

-- Enhance cooperation in green and low-carbon development by strengthening collaboration in clean energy, energy storage power stations, and smart grids; and,

-- Advance cooperation in industry-education integration by supporting vocational colleges in "going global" to train technical talent for various countries.

Data shows that in 2025, the total value of imports and exports between Hunan and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative exceeded 320 billion CNY, accounting for nearly 60% of the province's total foreign trade.

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

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: hunantoday