Hunan's total import and export value reached 211.28 billion CNY in the first five months of this year, according to recent data from the Changsha Customs Authority.

During this period, the number of enterprises with actual import and export performance reached 6,569, marking a year-on-year increase of 8.8%. Among them, manufacturing-oriented firms accounted for 40.2% and contributed 49.3% to the province's total foreign trade value. Foreign-invested enterprises sustained growth momentum in foreign trade, increasing  13.1% to 22.13 billion CNY, taking up 10.5% of the provincial total; while private enterprises recorded 163.08 billion CNY in import and export value and state-owned enterprises 25.6 billion CNY.

Hunan's trade with ASEAN and Middle Eastern markets expanded steadily. Trade with ASEAN countries reached 39.52 billion CNY, up 6.7%, while that with Middle Eastern countries hit 15.53 billion CNY, up 11.8%.

During the January-May period, exports of mechanical and electrical products reached 72.06 billion CNY, occupying 56.1% of the province's total export value. Exports of steel grew 28.1% to 9.24 billion CNY. Exports of construction machinery, cultural products, the "new three" products (solar batteries, lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles), and rail transit equipment reached 14.4 billion CNY, 13.8 billion CNY, 6.84 billion CNY, and 590 million CNY, increasing 4.8%, 17.6%, 55.5%, and 57.1%, respectively.