Guangdong Province

Guangdong is China's economic apex predator—the first province to exceed 14 trillion yuan in GDP (2024), maintaining its top position for the 36th consecutive year. More remarkably, its import and export volume surpassed 9 trillion yuan for the first time, securing the national trade crown for the 39th straight year and contributing 38.7% of China's total trade growth.

The province functions as the world's factory floor at unprecedented scale. Guangdong produces 70% of global consumer drones, 40% of global smartphones, one in four of China's new energy vehicles, 44% of national industrial robots, and 40% of domestic smartphones. Emerging industries surge: NEV output up 43%, industrial robots up 31.2%, integrated circuits up 21%. The Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou science cluster ranked second globally for the fifth consecutive year.

Manufacturing's dominance proved strategically vital as real estate contracted—industrial output contributed 50% of GDP growth, offsetting property sector adjustments. R&D investment intensity reaches 3.6%, with 77,000 high-tech enterprises operating in the province. From January to October 2025, trade grew 3.7% year-on-year to 7.8 trillion yuan, with exports of 3D printers up 18.4%, drones up 40.3%, and solar cells/lithium batteries/EVs up 32.6%.

The 2025 target of approximately 5% GDP growth positions Guangdong to implement a 'more proactive opening-up strategy.' When a single province contains such manufacturing density, global supply chains effectively run through its Pearl River Delta factories.