On January 30, the Ministry of Commerce published on its website a list of the proposed cities to be commended and supported for their notable results in promoting the stable and innovative development of foreign trade in 2022. Ten cities including Changsha were shortlisted. The list of candidates will open for public review until February 3.

The proposed 10 cities include Dalian City of Liaoning Province; Pudong New Area of Shanghai Municipality; Suzhou City of Jiangsu Province; Jinhua City of Zhejiang Province; Xiamen City of Fujian Province; Jiujiang City of Jiangxi Province; Weifang City of Shandong Province; Changsha City of Hunan Province; Shenzhen City of Guangdong Province; and Chengdu City of Sichuan Province.

Being on the list means that Changsha's foreign trade development and innovation in 2022 have been recognized by the state.

According to customs statistics, Changsha's total import and export value rose 21.1% over the same period last year to 331.56 billion yuan in 2022, exceeding 300 billion yuan for the first time. Changsha ranked 14th among municipalities and provincial capitals in China in terms of the total import and export value, and 7th in terms of the growth rate. Of the total, Changsha's exports were 246.29 billion yuan, up 27.3%, ranking 12th and 7th respectively.

In recent years, Changsha's foreign trade has moved up another notch year by year, showing a trend of leapfrog development. It topped 100 billion yuan in 2018, 200 billion yuan in 2019, and 300 billion yuan in 2022, with an average annual growth rate of about 30%.

Changsha's foreign trade partners are more diversified. In 2022, ASEAN was Changsha's largest trading partner, with the import and export trade reaching 75.54 billion yuan, up 47.9% year on year. During the same period, Changsha's trade with countries along the Belt and Road stood at 128.79 billion yuan, up 41.8%; and its trade with other RCEP members grew 27.9% to 116.78 billion yuan.

Source: en.changsha.gov.cn