Provinces in central China are on the path of strong economic recovery through industrial transformation and further opening up while adopting effective COVID-19 prevention and control measures.

Central China, including the six provinces of Shanxi, Henan, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi, is one of the fastest growing regions in the country.

At the ongoing 12th Central China Investment and Trade Exposition (Expo Central China 2021) in Shanxi Province, investors are seeing greater opportunities.

The expo, scheduled from May 21 to 23, includes 71 exhibitions, forums and project matchmaking activities.

"It will help the central region play an important role in establishing a new development paradigm," said Wang Shouwen, China's vice minister of commerce at a press conference.

The central provinces have registered sustained economic growth in the past few years. From 2016 to 2019, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the six central provinces increased from 16.1 trillion yuan (about 2.5 trillion U.S. dollars) to 21.9 trillion yuan, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The regional permanent resident population, at 370 million, accounts for more than a quarter of China's total. The region has abundant labor resources and a broad consumer market, said Wang.

The transportation network of the central region is developed with numerous land ports and airports, along with railway, aviation and water transportation, Wang noted.

"It has excellent geographical advantages in import and export, which is conducive to foreign enterprises to meet the needs of the international market," he said.

A key transport hub, Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, is located at the intersection of the national railway network. To enhance its connection with European countries, the city has built an inland port to handle the China-Europe freight trains.

The number of freight train trips via the port jumped from 13 in 2013 to 1,126 in 2020, with the cargo value soaring from 50 million U.S. dollars in 2013 to 4.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, statistics show.

"The central region has witnessed continuous economic development, enhanced vitality, improved infrastructure and more convenient transportation and made all-around progress," Wang said.