Changsha held a press conference on building itself into a hub of reform and opening-up in inland areas on September 19. It is one of the "Changsha's Extraordinary Achievements over the Past Decade" press conference series. After ten years of hard work in following the inevitable course of reform and opening-up, Changsha has moved from the hinterland to the forefront of opening up.
At the press conference. (Liu Xiaomin, Changsha Evening News)
Foreign trade has reached a new level. Changsha's foreign trade in goods surged from 54.88 billion yuan in 2012 to 278.03 billion yuan in 2021, registering an average annual growth rate of nearly 20%. The city has made trade transactions with more than 200 countries and regions in the world.
New breakthroughs have been made in attracting foreign investment. In 2021, Changsha's actual use of foreign capital reached 2.007 billion US dollars, accounting for 83.1% of the province's total and ranking first among provincial capitals in central China. A total of 180 "Fortune Global 500" enterprises have been attracted to settle down; 105 overseas "Fortune Global 500" enterprises, such as BASF of Germany, AEON of Japan, Prudential of the UK, Royal Dutch Shell of the Netherlands, Danone of France, Adecco of Switzerland and IKEA of Sweden, have invested in Changsha; and, 4,822 foreign-funded market entities have set up businesses in Changsha.
New steps have been taken in foreign economic cooperation. In 2021, Changsha's actual outbound investment was 1.465 billion US dollars, taking up more than 90% of the province's total and ranking first among provincial capitals in central China. A group of foreign contracted projects including a bypass expressway project in Algeria enjoy a good reputation overseas. Overseas economic and trade parks such as the Ajman China Town have been set up. Many Changsha enterprises have gone global, including the Longping Agricultural Development Co., Ltd and Trunking Technology Limited.
The functions of open platforms have been continuously enhanced. Xiangjiang New Area has advanced the reform of management system, and boasts an open environment with obvious advantages. The area's actual use of foreign capital accounts for more than 70% of the province's total. The Hunan Pilot Free Trade Zone Changsha Area has continued to promote institutional innovation, with 80 institutional innovation achievements made. Changsha has six functional ports and seven major national foreign trade transformation and upgrading bases. The number of open platforms ranks first among provincial capitals in central and western China. Platforms promoting cooperation with Africa are at the forefront. Changsha has become the permanent location of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo. In 2021, the total value of Changsha's imports from and exports to Africa reached 14.36 billion yuan, up 78.7% year on year. The growth rate was 40 percentage points higher than the province and 52 percentage points higher than the country.
The facilitation of international channels has been continuously improved. Changsha has opened nearly 20 international cargo routes and completed the arrangement of air routes connecting five continents. The Changsha Huanghua International Airport made the list of top 100 airports in the world. International air routes to key cities along the "Belt and Road" and Changsha's "Four-hour Aviation Economic Circle" have been continuously enhanced. The China-Europe freight trains (Changsha) can reach nearly 100 cities in 30 countries in Asia and Europe, ranking first in China for three consecutive years.
Source: en.changsha.gov.cn
