On May 22, at the Huamei Xingtai production base in Xiangxi High-tech Zone, the smart production line was running at high speed, and workers were busy packing lithium-ion batteries. This batch of goods will take international logistics and go to the European market.
“Our AC batteries and balcony energy storage batteries are in short supply in Europe, and orders have been scheduled for the second half of the year.” Zhang Zhiqiang, the company’s general manager, said with confidence.
This is a vivid portrayal of the booming foreign trade in western Hunan.
According to statistics, from January to April this year, the total export volume of Xiangxi Prefecture reached 700 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 81.7%, and the growth rate ranked first in the province.
From the hinterland of mountains to the global market, how can Western Hunan’s foreign trade “break through”?
Behind it lies the triple code of industry, innovation and service.
Xiangxi has unique manganese ore resources. It has long relied on the export of primary mineral products, with low added value and weak competitiveness.
Nowadays, a transformation of intensive processing has turned this resource advantage into a hot commodity for export.
Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture Fengda Alloy Technology Co., Ltd. is the leading enterprise in the manganese industry in western Hunan.
In order to solve the industry problem of high-nitrogen steel smelting, the company’s chief engineer Wang Guoning devoted himself to research and development and successfully launched manganese nitride, a national key new product.
The company has built the world’s largest production line, and its products go directly to high-end steel companies around the world. The manganese-aluminum alloy developed by the company fills the domestic gap.
Fengda Alloy has grown into the largest manganese-based new material manufacturer in China, with the world’s largest market share of manganese nitride, becoming the “main force” in Xiangxi Prefecture’s exports.
The rise of the new energy industry and new manganese materials have formed a “two-wheel drive”, adding momentum to Western Hunan’s foreign trade.
Companies such as Huamei Xingtai focus on the research and development of lithium-ion batteries. Their products cover energy storage batteries, mobile power supplies, etc. With multiple international certifications, they are sold in 28 countries and regions.
From January to April 2026, the state’s lithium-ion battery exports were 260 million yuan, and manganese and its products, and manganese nitride exports were 300 million yuan. These two types of products supported 80% of the state’s export share and became the core engine of growth.
“Our core advantage is to have our own vertical industrial chain and achieve independent research and development of core products.” Zhang Zhiqiang said.
From “selling resources” to “selling technology”, innovation is the key to the transformation and upgrading of foreign trade in western Hunan.
Liu Hanyong, chairman of Fengda Alloy Company, led his team to participate in 15 national, provincial and ministerial-level projects, won 60 authorized patents, led the formulation of 1 national standard, and used technological innovation to break industry barriers.
Huamei Xingtai adopts the “artificial + intelligence” production model, with 25 production lines operating at full capacity. Its flagship products accurately match the energy storage needs of European households, and its export growth rate to the Netherlands and Germany exceeds 400%.
This year, the State Optimization Office has solidly promoted the “Enterprise Service Year” action, efficiently solved various appeals and problems of enterprises, focusing on industrial innovation and precise empowerment of foreign trade exports; the State Administrative Approval Service Bureau has continuously improved the “Enterprise Home” function of the State Government Service Hall to provide enterprises with assistance, appeal collection and other services;
The state commerce system carries out “policy services into districts and counties” visits to boost corporate confidence; Xiangxi Customs speeds up manual review, significantly shortening the time to apply for a certificate of origin, and sets up an AEO coordinator to provide “one-on-one” guidance to key enterprises, guide independent brand enterprises to apply for customs protection filings for intellectual property rights, and reduce the risk of export infringement.
High-quality services have created a good innovation ecosystem. Xiangxi has cultivated a “zero-breaking-doubling-new” echelon development mechanism, promoting 8 companies to achieve foreign trade “breaking zero”, 7 companies to achieve foreign trade doubling, and the number of foreign trade performance companies reached 39, an increase of 10 compared with the same period in 2025.
