Guangdong officials outlined priorities for the province’s upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan at a press conference on Jan. 26, highlighting growth in high-tech industries, robotics, AI, and international trade initiatives aimed at boosting Guangdong’s role in the global market.
Zeng Jinze, director-general of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, told reporters that industry and information services fueled roughly half of last year’s GDP growth. He noted that advanced manufacturing and high-tech sectors accounted for more than 50% and 30%, respectively, of the added value from large industrial enterprises.
Zeng also addressed the “Guangdong Goods Go Global” campaign. Responding to a reporter’s question, he said, “Since its launch on January 15, […] various cities within the province, including Foshan, Dongguan, Shenzhen, Zhongshan, and Guangzhou, have held events promoting industrial products such as home appliances, mobile phones, consumer electronics, and lighting fixtures.”
Looking forward, Zeng detailed the following future priorities: traditional upgrades, robotics, and frontiers such as 6G and embodied intelligence – a paradigm of AI where an agent’s “thinking” is not just a digital process, but emerges from its physical interactions with the real world – such as through a robot, drone, or autonomous vehicle.
He also projected Guangdong’s core artificial intelligence (AI) industry would exceed 300 billion yuan ($41.5 billion) by year’s end, reflecting over 40% growth and comprising a quarter of China’s total.
Zhang Jingsong, Director-General of the Department of Commerce, reported an average annual foreign trade growth of 6%, hitting RMB9.49 trillion in 2025 — up 4.4% year-on-year and ranking first nationally for 40 years.
“During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we faced severe shocks, including the pandemic, the US’s double whammy, and external suppression and containment,” Zhang told reporters. In 2025, imports and exports by foreign-invested enterprises in Guangdong totaled RMB3.03 trillion, up 6.5% from the prior year.
The province counted 172,000 enterprises engaged in import-export activities that year. Among them, 148,000 were private firms, which handled RMB6.07 trillion in trade.
According to the Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office, in 2025, the province’s trade with ASEAN reached RMB1.53 trillion ($211 billion), up 5.8%. Volumes with Hong Kong SAR reached RMB1.28 trillion, while European Union trade totaled RMB1.13 trillion, increasing 12.5% and 8.4%, respectively.
For 2026-2030, Guangdong eyes diversified markets, from Europe and the U.S. to ASEAN and Africa. Plans include the Canton Fair and overseas “Guangdong Trade Global” events to support exports.
Guangdong CPPCC
session concludes
The Fourth Session of the 13th Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference concluded yesterday morning in Guangzhou after adopting the “Resolution of the Fourth Session of the 13th Guangdong Provincial Committee of the CPPCC.”
According to mainland media reports, the session elected Zhang Shaokang and Guo Yonghang as vice chairmen of the 13th Guangdong Provincial Committee of the CPPCC. It also added 29 members to the Standing Committee, including Liu Liang, a member from Macau.
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