Spring bears the tree of friendship; autumn yields the fruit of economy and trade. On the afternoon of September 19, the 2026 Hunan Enterprises Going Global: Investment Cooperation Matchmaking Conference, co-hosted by the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province and the Foreign Affairs Office of the Hunan Provincial People's Government, was held at the Changsha International Conference Center. More than 120 representatives from government agencies and industrial and commercial enterprises across nearly 20 countries and regions gathered alongside representatives from over 150 Hunan-based enterprises. With friendship-city cooperation as a bridge, they discussed new opportunities for international production capacity cooperation and explored high-level opening-up.

Shen Yumou, secretary of the CPC Leadership Group and director of the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province, attended and delivered a speech. Wang Liwen, first-level inspector of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Hunan Provincial People's Government, presided over the conference. Foreign guests in attendance included Kiri Sam Andrew Manlangai, president of Shefa Province, Vanuatu; Jose Julio Gomez Beato, ambassador of the Dominican Republic to China; the deputy chairman of Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia; Isara Charoenchasri, deputy governor of Chonburi Province, Thailand; and Chamlak Kanphet, deputy governor of Nong Khai Province, Thailand.

Build a Cooperation Platform to Showcase Cooperation Opportunities

The purpose of this matchmaking conference was to build a precise and efficient international cooperation platform and promote the deep integration of Hunan enterprises into global industrial and supply chains. At the conference, Shen Yumou delivered a speech on three topics: "Why Go Global," "Where to Go," and "How to Proceed Steadily." He pointed out that as global industrial chains are accelerating their restructuring, "going global" is no longer an optional question for enterprises but a mandatory one for better integration into global industrial chains. Going global is not about "relocating" but about "taking root." Shen Yumou emphasized that truly successful overseas expansion exports not only products and production capacity but also technology, standards, brands, and talent, ultimately forming an industrial symbiotic relationship in which each is embedded in the other.

Shen Yumou noted that although Hunan is an inland province, it harbors ambitions to embrace the sea. The Department of Commerce of Hunan Province will continue to improve the "Hunan Enterprises Going Global+" comprehensive service platform, provide one-stop services ranging from registration and financing to risk prevention and control, and serve as a good "matchmaker" for enterprises expanding overseas. It will guide Hunan enterprises to respect local laws, integrate into local communities, and drive local employment, so as to truly "take root locally and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results."

In the investment promotion session, six guest representatives took the stage in turn to present their respective investment environments and cooperation opportunities. They were Jose Julio Gomez Beato, ambassador of the Dominican Republic to China; Feng Xingliang, chief representative of NRW.Global Business China; Maria Luiza Barbosa Pinto, advisor to the Secretariat for Sustainable Development, Innovation and Competitiveness (SEDIC) of the Municipality of Juiz de Fora, Brazil; Kraisorn Chatlekavanich, president of The Chonburi Chamber of Commerce, Thailand; Aibek Dzhunushaliev, mayor of Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic; and Chaudhry Shafay Hussain, minister of the Industries, Commerce and Investment Department of Punjab Province, Pakistan. 

Going Global: Hunan Enterprises Achieve Fruitful Results in Global Expansion

In the subsequent roadshow and presentation session by Hunan enterprise representatives, Zoomlion highlighted its achievements in global expansion: it has now established more than 40 overseas subsidiaries and laid out more than 10 production and manufacturing bases abroad. Through a network of over 530 marketing and service outlets, its products and services now reach more than 170 countries and regions, and its market share in Africa has increased from 5% to 15%. Hunan Construction Investment Group shared the practical experience of the "Hunan Construction Force" in 128 countries and regions, focusing on infrastructure construction, project contracting, and other fields.

In the free matchmaking session, foreign guests from the political and business circles and Hunan enterprise representatives conducted in-depth exchanges in the negotiation area. They carried out targeted matchmaking with a focus on potential cooperation in engineering machinery, rail transit, energy and power, biomedicine, infrastructure construction, and other fields, creating a lively on-site atmosphere.

In recent years, Hunan has made steady and remarkable progress in going global. In 2025, the province's actual outbound investment reached 3.28 billion USD, ranking among the top ten nationwide and first in China's central and western regions. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Hunan recorded a cumulative outbound investment of 11.46 billion USD. To date, Hunan enterprises have invested and operated in 115 countries and regions overseas, with overseas assets exceeding 17 billion USD. Eight competitive industries for outbound investment cooperation have been formed: agriculture, engineering machinery, rail transit, energy and power, biomedicine, light industry manufacturing, mineral resource exploitation, and infrastructure construction.

This matchmaking conference was an innovative practice by Hunan to deepen international economic and trade cooperation and promote high-level opening-up. Going forward, Hunan will continue to leverage the strengths of platforms such as the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo and the China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone, keep the five major international trade corridors open and smooth, guide more Hunan enterprises to find their niche and secure a promising future amid the restructuring of global industrial chains. Hunan will work with countries around the world to share opportunities through open cooperation and open a new chapter of development through mutual benefit and win-win results, vividly telling the China story of "turning a distance of 10,000 kilometers into 10,000 possibilities for cooperation."

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

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: Voice of Hunan