On 23 April, Cai Minjun, Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Wuhan (WHETO), led a delegation on a research visit to Yuhu Cold Chain (Wuhan) Trading Centre. The delegation included Zheng Shuping, Trade and Economic Relations Officer, and Fang Qiuchen, Trade and Economic Relations Manager, both from Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Wuhan), as well as Hu Yuegao, Standing Vice President, Li Luo, Standing Vice Secretary-General, and Yang Yang, Standing Senior Manager, all from the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Hubei Province.

Li Yuanhua, Vice President of Yuhu Cold Chain and Chairman of Yuhu Cold Chain Wuhan and Xiangyang, and Tian Yu, Deputy General Manager of Yuhu Cold Chain Wuhan, jointly received the visiting delegation. The group was briefed on the Trading Centre, toured the high-specification cold storage facilities and digital operations systems, and gained a detailed understanding of the trading centre's construction achievements, operating model, and service capabilities. A roundtable discussion followed.

Li Yuanhua extended a warm welcome to Director Cai Minjun and the delegation. He provided a comprehensive overview of Yuhu Cold Chain's national network strategy and the construction and operational progress of the Wuhan and Xiangyang projects, and expressed sincere gratitude for the sustained attention and support of WHETO.

Cai Minjun spoke highly of Yuhu Group's and Yuhu Cold Chain's national deployment strategy — in particular the strategic decision to prioritise Hubei Province as a key development region and to advance two flagship projects in Wuhan and Xiangyang. She also commended the Trading Centre's achievements in establishing an efficient logistics and warehousing system, in digital operations management, and in delivering integrated full-industry-chain support services. She noted that Hong Kong serves as a hub for international food trade and an important gateway for Mainland enterprises entering global markets, and that Hong Kong has established dedicated institutions to support Mainland enterprises in expanding internationally. Going forward, Hong Kong will actively collaborate with Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), and other relevant bodies to provide Yuhu Cold Chain and its tenants with comprehensive support — particularly in facilitating the entry of food products into Hong Kong's market.

Li Luo noted that the Chamber will further develop a regular engagement mechanism with Yuhu Cold Chain. On one hand, it will help Yuhu Cold Chain and its tenants connect with quality resources at home and abroad, supporting both inbound attraction and outbound expansion. On the other, leveraging the industry alliance platform established by the Chamber, it will introduce more Hong Kong-backed partners to Yuhu Cold Chain, fostering collaboration and complementary strengths among Hong Kong-funded enterprises operating in Hubei.

Yuhu Cold Chain (Wuhan) Trading Centre is located in Shekou Street, Huangpi District, Wuhan, and has been designated a provincial and municipal key project for three consecutive years. The project covers an area of 312 mu (approximately 20.8 hectares), with a total floor area of approximately 277,000 square metres, comprising eight cold storage buildings with a combined capacity of 214,000 metric tons. Positioned as an international cold chain food trading base for Central China, the project has been successively designated as a member of the "Commercial Services-Type National Logistics Hub," a National Agricultural Products Cold Chain Logistics Backbone Base construction project, one of Wuhan's first "dual-use for normal and emergency operations" projects, and a project under Wuhan's essential goods circulation and supply guarantee system. The centre commenced trial operations on 27 September 2025, and has since attracted over 400 domestic and international cold chain food traders, distributors, agents, processors, logistics enterprises, and support services businesses as signed tenants. As Yuhu Cold Chain's largest, highest-specification, and most comprehensive international cold chain food trading base in Central China, the Trading Centre will serve as a modern cold chain market hub integrating domestic and imported frozen food procurement, customs declaration and inspection, in-park settlement, and direct-to-buyer distribution.

At the outset of the 15th Five-Year Plan, Yuhu Cold Chain (Wuhan) Trading Centre will further strengthen Wuhan's role as a "five-type" national logistics hub. Through its Online-Merge-Offline (OMO) model integrating both digital and physical channels, the centre will consolidate global resources: bringing in quality imported frozen food to enrich the supply of the Central China market, while supporting the export of Hubei agricultural products to markets worldwide. This will help Wuhan consolidate its position as a "national commercial logistics centre," while establishing a new benchmark for digital transformation in the cold chain industry across Central China — injecting fresh momentum into the region's high-quality economic development.