Hubei province will leverage its strategic location and transport networks to strengthen its role as a key pivot for the rise of Central China, while better serving the national market and global economy over the next five years, officials said at a news conference in the provincial capital Wuhan on Friday.

Governor Li Dianxun said the province will capitalize on the combined strengths of its major transport networks — waterways, railways, highways, aviation and pipelines — to create one of the most efficient transport systems in inland China during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30).

Currently, one of its busiest hubs is Ezhou Huahu International Airport, which began operations four years ago and now has the country's largest number of air cargo routes.

According to a recent report in Hubei Daily, a local newspaper, the airport, as Asia's first dedicated cargo hub airport, has launched 117 cargo routes, including 56 international routes connecting 57 global destinations, forming a network spanning five continents.

Hubei's efforts will also focus on reducing logistics costs and improving efficiency by introducing modern logistics enterprises and optimizing operations across cargo collection, transportation, warehousing and distribution, while jointly building international logistics networks, Li said.

Zhang Wenbing, the province's executive vice-governor, said Hubei enjoys a uniquely advantageous location linking the eastern and western parts of China, and connecting the south and the north. Its multimodal transport system continues to improve, with high-speed rail mileage ranking fifth nationwide.

A recent report by Xinhua News Agency said that by the end of the first quarter this year, Hubei's operational high-speed rail network had reached 2,585 kilometers. Some provincial capitals nearby, including Changsha in Hunan province, Nanchang in Jiangxi province, Hefei in Anhui province and Zhengzhou in Henan province, are now accessible from Wuhan within one to two hours.

Zhang said Hubei will further enhance major transport corridors, build large-scale transport hubs and strengthen integrated logistics systems. Plans include developing a shipping center in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and establishing a China-Europe freight train assembly center in Wuhan. Besides Huahu airport, the province will also enhance the role of Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in passenger transport.

Officials also emphasized further efforts to deepen practical cooperation with global partners across trade, investment, science and technology, finance and cultural exchanges.

The China Construction Third Bureau First Engineering Co, a Wuhan-based company, recently reported strong overseas performance in the first quarter, with newly signed contracts doubling year-on-year and output value rising by as much as 96 percent.

Ma Yikui, general manager of the company's international business division, said the firm is focusing on key markets, including Malaysia, Cambodia and Indonesia, by establishing dedicated marketing centers and upgrading project development mechanisms to secure high-quality projects and build long-term partnerships with major clients.

The company has also leveraged its strengths in industrial facilities and data center construction in overseas markets, where it has captured nearly 40 percent of the Southeast Asian data center construction market, Ma said.