The customs office of Changsha, Hunan province announced, at a news conference on Jan 16, that it will launch 10 measures to propel the local import sector, in a bid to achieve a balance between imports and exports in the province, Changsha Evening News reported.

Hunan customs received a record high of more than 500,000 foreign passengers in 2014, according to the conference, which is 150,000 people more than the total number of the other five provinces in Central China, namely Henan, Shanxi, Hubei, Anhui, and Jiangxi.

Hunan's total value of imports and exports in 2014 reached 190.69 billion yuan ($30.71 billion), a year-on-year growth of 22.2 percent, which is nearly 20 percentage points higher than the national average growth rate, also ranking first among the six provinces in Central China. Hong Kong, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the European Union ranked them its top three trade partners.

Exports contributed the major share to the foreign trade value with an annual increase of 33.9 percent to 123.04 billion yuan, and imports, with a year-on-year growth of 5.4 percent, made up the remaining 67.65 billion yuan.

To stop the growing foreign trade surplus, which amounted to 55.39 billion yuan last year, and seek a balanced and stable development of imports and exports, Changsha customs will launch a series of 10 measures to boost its imports.

Li Duichen, head of Changsha customs office, said that they will introduce the innovative regulatory framework of Shanghai Free Trade Zone to improve import customs clearance efficiency. Meanwhile, the customs will offer 24-hour customs clearance appointment services and launch customs clearance "Green Passage" for perishable goods imports.

Foreigners can arrive at Hunan province from abroad through the Changsha or Zhangjiajie airport port. The two airports saw a total of 514,582 foreign arrivals in 2014, a year-on-year increase of 27.3 percent.

Hunan province has the most foreign visitors from the South Korea, with its number exceeding 400,000 in 2014, and more than 90 percent of them holding tourist passports.

Two foreign passengers at Huanghua Airport, Changsha, Jan 16 [Photo by Zou Lin/Changsha Evening News]