Hubei narrows gap with Henan in race for Central China's top economy

(ECNS) -- Hubei is rapidly closing the economic gap with Henan, threatening to unseat its neighbor as Central China’s top provincial economy.

Among the 29 provinces that have released economic data for the first half of 2025, 22 matched or exceeded the national GDP growth average of 5.3%. Hubei registered a robust 6.2% growth rate to rank third among all provinces behind only Tibet (7.2%) and Gansu (6.3%), with its GDP reaching 2.96 trillion yuan.

Hubei added about 230 billion yuan ($31.6 billion) to its GDP during the period, while Henan, despite posting 5.7% growth, saw a smaller increase of 45.2 billion yuan. As a result, the GDP gap between the two provinces shrank from nearly 400 billion yuan a year earlier to around 200 billion yuan, posing a direct challenge to Henan’s long-held position as Central China’s economic leader.

The economic gap has steadily narrowed in recent years, dropping from 843.1 billion yuan in 2019 to 357.7 billion yuan in 2023, and further to about 200 billion yuan by mid-2025.

Foreign trade, logistics upgrades, and high-tech manufacturing are driving Hubei’s economic surge.

Hubei’s foreign trade surged 28.4% year-on-year to surpass 400 billion yuan in H1 2025, reducing its trade deficit with Henan to roughly 100 billion yuan.

The Huahu International Airport in Hubei's Ezhou recently overtook Zhengzhou’s Xinzheng Airport in cargo throughput to become Central China’s top air freight hub. Third, Hubei’s high-tech manufacturing sector expanded by 14.4%, driven particularly by rapid growth in electronic components and lithium battery production.

Qin Zunwen, vice president of the China Urban Economics Association and researcher at the Hubei Academy of Social Sciences, attributes the momentum to infrastructure transformation.

"Hubei’s geographical advantages were not fully utilized due to earlier shortcomings in transport connectivity," he noted. "But major logistics projects like Huahu Airport have unlocked its potential as an inland gateway, amplifying its economic radiation."