On October 31, 2025, the inauguration ceremony of the Logistics and Supply Chain Committee of the Hunan International Chamber of Commerce and the Hunan (Huaihua)-ASEAN Industrial & Supply Chain Partnership Matchmaking Event took place in Huaihua, Hunan Province, marking a new starting point for Hunan’s deep integration into the global industrial and supply chains. Hunan’s Xingsha Logistics Investment Co., Ltd. was elected as the chair unit. During the matchmaking event, 12 projects were signed on-site, with a total contract value reaching 1.07 billion yuan.
Hunan is one of China’s most active provinces in economic and trade cooperation with Africa, and ASEAN is Hunan’s largest trading partner. Huaihua, leading Hunan in foreign trade growth for three consecutive years and boasting international logistics channels radiating to ASEAN, has emerged as an inland opening exemplar under the RCEP framework, contributing significantly to Hunan’s rapid growth in international trade with both ASEAN and Africa. Supported and guided by the Hunan Provincial Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the Hunan International Chamber of Commerce, the Committee was jointly initiated by 15 entities including Hunan’s Xingsha Logistics Investment Co., Ltd. and Huaihua International Inland Port. Its 53 founding members cover all segments of the supply chain within the province, including railway, highway, air freight, ports, comprehensive logistics, and manufacturing supply chains, ensuring broad representation and high professionalism.
The establishment of the Committee marks a milestone in industry collaborative development and a new starting point for serving national strategies. It aims to build a collaborative platform integrating government, industry, research, and financial sectors to jointly address challenges in international logistics and supply chains. The Committee will provide more robust and reliable cross-border logistics and supply chain support for Hunan enterprises, especially SMEs, in their “going global” and “bringing in” efforts, facilitating their participation in the international division of labor and integration into global supply chains with more precise and professional services. Simultaneously, it will empower the development of Huaihua International Land Port, attracting more and better logistics, commerce, finance, information, and other resources to gather in Huaihua, and accelerating the construction of a more complete industrial and supply chain system in the city. It will effectively address logistics bottlenecks and pain points faced in international trade, cross-border e-commerce, the “global expansion” of Hunan enterprises, barter trade, and the construction of “overseas warehouses,” contributing professional expertise to the development of Hunan’s open economy.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the Provincial Department of Commerce and the Provincial Port Office, in collaboration with relevant departments and cities, promoted the construction of five major international trade channels and freight assembly centers under the principle of “province-wide coordination, coverage, and linkage.” Among these, Huaihua, as a crucial strategic node of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor and a core member of the “13+2” inter-provincial consultation and cooperation mechanism, has consistently maintained an open posture. With Huaihua International Land Port as a powerful engine, it is fully committed to building a new highland for inland reform and opening-up. In 2024, Huaihua’s GDP grew by 5.3%, and the total value of foreign trade import and export reached 13.76 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 32.9%, maintaining the highest growth rate in the province for three consecutive years. This signifies a new stage for high-level opening-up and high-quality development, with Huaihua’s “circle of friends” continuously expanding and its city image becoming more open, inclusive, and dynamic.
As Hunan’s strategic pivot for engaging with ASEAN and the province’s only ASEAN freight assembly center, Huaihua has continuously deepened regional cooperation with ASEAN in recent years, achieving fruitful results in trade, enterprise investment, and industrial collaboration. In 2024, Huaihua’s total import and export volume with ASEAN reached 3.566 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 28.9%, ranking first in the province, solidifying ASEAN’s position as Huaihua’s largest trading partner. Huaihua has established 7 international logistics corridors (including to Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar) and 196 transport routes. In 2024, it operated over 1,000 ASEAN-dedicated trains, with 70% of the goods on the New Western Land-Sea Corridor passing through Huaihua to reach ASEAN, strongly demonstrating its channel advantage. Accelerating the construction of the ASEAN Freight Assembly Center, it has achieved a 30-hour cross-border transit time to rivers and seas, 2-day delivery for goods destined for Laos and Vietnam, 3-day delivery for Southeast Asian fruits, with ASEAN trade accounting for over 26% of its total goods import and export value.
At the Hunan (Huaihua)-ASEAN Industrial & Supply Chain Partnership Matchmaking Event, 12 projects were signed on-site, covering machinery manufacturing, bamboo industry, logistics, luggage and leather goods, smart cold chain, cross-border e-commerce, and other fields, with a total contract value of 1.07 billion yuan.
The event also organized one-on-one business matching sessions based on the actual needs of participating enterprises and institutions. Representatives from ASEAN business associations, logistics, luggage, agriculture, financial institutions, and other enterprises were specially invited for on-site discussions. Consultation and negotiation zones were set up for Huaihua Customs, Bank of China Huaihua Branch, Hunan Bank, Huatai Property & Casualty Insurance Co., Ltd. Hunan Branch, New Land-Sea Corridor Operation (Hunan) Co., Ltd., and Hunan Huaihua Yuanhai New Channel Logistics Co., Ltd., facilitating practical business discussions.
(Translated by Tian Xia)