Changsha's total import and export value expanded 1.5% year on year to 162.73 billion CNY in the first seven months of 2025, accounting for 52.9% of Hunan Province's total foreign trade value, according to statistics from the Xingsha Customs Authority. Of the total, exports amounted to 109.24 billion CNY, up 8.3%, while imports totaled 53.49 billion CNY. In July alone, Changsha's import and export volume stood at 25.96 billion CNY, marking a 2.9% increase.

General trade reached 137.94 billion CNY, accounting for 84.8% of the city's total foreign trade value, while processing trade totaled 13.58 billion CNY, showing a growth of 21.3%. The Xingsha Customs Authority has conducted the "Door-to-Door Policy Consultation by Customs Officer" campaign regularly to help enterprises overcome difficulties. In June this year, the authority guided a struggling company in securing an overseas order in the Middle East by leveraging the bonded policy for processing trade, saving 176 million CNY in tax costs and helping the enterprise tide over the tough period.

ASEAN, the EU, and South Korea are Changsha's top three trading partners, with bilateral trade reaching 30.33 billion CNY, 15.19 billion CNY, and 9.18 billion CNY, respectively. During the same period, Changsha's trade with other RCEP member countries reached 49.81 billion CNY, up 14.1%. According to the Xingsha Customs Authority, taking spherical aluminum powder produced by a company in Ningxiang as an example, the RCEP certificate of origin helped reduce the tariff rate for exports to Japan from 3% to 1.6%, directly enhancing the product's international competitiveness. In the first seven months, the authority issued 17,000 certificates of origin under RCEP and other agreements, helping Changsha's foreign trade enterprises enjoy tariff reductions totaling about 520 million CNY, accelerating the "going global" process of Changsha products. Open platforms such as the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo have played a significant role in driving regional development. Changsha's trade with Africa hit 18.44 billion CNY, an increase of 57.5%.

Machinery and electronic products are major exported products, with exports growing 9.6% to 73.07 billion CNY, accounting for 66.9% of the total export value. Specifically, automobile exports reached 15.18 billion CNY, up 43.7%, while construction machinery exports amounted to 17.77 billion CNY. Additionally, exports of the "new three" products—solar batteries, lithium-ion batteries, and electric vehicles—reached 9.97 billion CNY, surging 94.1%. New energy vehicles manufactured by the BYD Auto Co., Ltd. in Changsha are highly favored in the Latin American market, with a steadily increasing market share. Since the beginning of this year, the company has exported more than 10,000 cars to Brazil.

Imports of machinery and electronic products reached 22.09 billion CNY, taking up over 40% of the total imports, while agricultural product imports stood at 5.66 billion CNY. To promote integrated circuit imports, the Xingsha Customs Authority actively implemented preferential tax policies and organized explanation sessions on tax relief policies for integrated circuits. In the first seven months, Changsha's integrated circuit imports reached 14.72 billion CNY, growing 8.7%. 

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

Translator: Kuang Zhenzhen

Chinese source: hunantoday