An investment promotion conference of major industrial parks and zones, part of the 2024 Domestic and Foreign Trade Integrated Development (Changsha) Fair, was held at the Hunan International Convention & Exhibition Center on July 13. Three major areas of the China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) made key promotions. More than 100 enterprises and representative business associations from Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, and other provinces and cities attended.

Hunan FTZ has been gradually playing an important role of "experimental field of reform, leading area for opening up, driving force for innovation, and front-runner of development" since it was established over three years ago, said Liao Guanghui, deputy director of the Department of Commerce of Hunan Province. In 2023, 12,000 new enterprises were set up in Hunan FTZ and 96 major projects newly introduced with a total investment of 156.91 billion yuan. The total amount of foreign trade and actual utilization of foreign capital respectively accounted for 27% and 33% of the provincial total. The tax revenue reached 12.64 billion yuan, an increase of 64% year on year.

Relevant persons in charge of the Hunan FTZ Changsha, Yueyang, and Chenzhou areas explained the development trends and industrial foundations of each zone, and introduced their unique advantages in terms of geographical location, transportation conditions, scientific and technological development, professional talent, and business environment. The Hunan Smart Automobile Group, HIMIT (Yueyang) Technology Co., Ltd., and Shenzhen D-trading Digital Trade Technology Service Co., Ltd., as the representatives of newly settled export-oriented enterprises in the three FTZ areas, shared their investment experiences and settlement impressions.