CHANGSHA: The capital of Hunan province has become the 13th city in China to be granted official status as a base for service outsourcing.

The ministries of commerce, information industry, and science and technology have approved Changsha as the only outsourcing base in Central China for computer software and cartoon and animation services, local authorities said yesterday.

Other major outsourcing cities are Dalian, Shanghai, Xi'an, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Beijing, Hangzhou, Tianjin, Nanjing, Wuhan, Jinan, and Hefei.