Hunan Province’s total foreign trade value reached 144.21 billion CNY in the first quarter of this year, up 16.6 percent year on year, according to a press conference on the first quarter of 2026 held by Changsha Customson April 17. Of the total, exports stood at 80.73 billion CNY, up 6.3 percent, while imports surged by 32.8 percent to 63.48 billion CNY.

In the first quarter, the number of enterprises in Hunan with actual import and export records reached 6,837, an increase of 1,186 compared with the same period last year. Among them, private enterprises recorded 115.96 billion CNY in foreign trade, up 23.1 percent, accounting for over 80 percent of the province’s total import and export value.

Hunan continued to expand its presence in the international market, with both traditional and emerging markets achieving relatively fast growth. In the first quarter, trade with Hong Kong SAR, the European Union, and the United Kingdom reached 17.63 billion CNY, 14.41 billion CNY and 1.19 billion CNY, respectively, up 39.5 percent, 44.5 percent, and 32.7 percent. As the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) went deeper and more solid, trade with BRI partner countries reached 84.61 billion CNY, an increase of 16.1 percent, accounting for 58.7 percent of the total import and export value.

Exported goods continued to trend towards newer and smarter technologies, highlighting the prominent supportive role of the real economy. In the first quarter, the province's exports of mechanical and electrical products totaled 47.17 billion CNY, up 16.6 percent, contributing 8.8 percentage points to the overall export growth, with their share in total exports rising to 58.4 percent. Among them, exports of construction machinery, automobiles, and lithium batteries reached 9.73 billion CNY, 7.98 billion CNY and 2.28 billion CNY, increasing by 22.1 percent, 31.1 percent, and 63 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, exports of electric vehicles totaled 26,000 units, surging by 106.7 percent.

Disclaimer:

This is an English translation of the original Chinese version and is provided for reference only. In the event of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.