Foreign trade surged 15.5 percent year-on-year in 2012 to $21.94 billion in Hunan province, contrasting with the 6.2 percent growth of China's foreign trade in 2012, according to the province's customs department.

Exports rose 27.2 percent year-on-year to $12.6 billion in 2012, while imports increased 3.3 percent to $9.34 billion.

The first 10 months saw the province's foreign trade edge up 3.3 percent year-on-year. Measures to stabilize foreign trade added a $6.06 billion value in the last two months of 2012.

Processing trade increased 136 percent year-on-year to $6.37 billion, accounting for 29 percent of the province's total foreign trade in 2012.