Huawei, Tencent, DJI, ZTE and BYD –-- some of the worlds most acknowledged tech giants –-- all come from the exact same place: south Chinas Guangdong Province.This coastal province deals with the South China Sea and is adjacent to the unique administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao.
As Chinas manufacturing center, it is an important part of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) –-- one of the countrys most open and financially vibrant areas, consisting of nine Guangdong cities together with Hong Kong and Macao.
The GBA is the only region on the planet where mechatronics innovation and AI technology concurrently live.
It is not real anywhere else, NVIDIAs CEO Jensen Huang stated in November 2024.
The economic powerhouse saw its GDP struck 14.16 trillion yuan (about $1.97 trillion) in 2024, making Guangdong the first province in China to go beyond the 14-trillion mark.
It has actually ranked initially in the country for 36 consecutive years, representing 10.5 percent of the nationwide overall, according to the Bureau of Statistics of Guangdong Province.
The information also showed that Guangdongs overall import and export volume exceeded 9 trillion yuan for the first time.
From January to May 2025, the provinces commercial included worth above a designated size grew by 3.5 percent, with the production sector growing 4 percent, stated Zhuang Lecong, an inspector with the provincial market and infotech department.
Guangdong has ranked initially in Chinas local innovation capability for eight consecutive years.
And the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster has actually ranked second on the Global Innovation Index for 5 successive years, Yang Huifang, an inspector with the department of science and innovation of Guangdong Province, stated on June 23.
To understand how Guangdong developed its sophisticated and innovation-based manufacturing, we require to look at its history of manufacturing for export.
In the 1980s, Guangdongs growth was driven by processing trade, especially in light markets like fabrics, utilizing the front shop, back factory design, in which Hong Kong managed orders while factories in the Pearl River Delta concentrated on production, stated Wang Jun, previous president of the Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences.By the late 1990s, rising domestic costs and external pressures had started to challenge this design.
The 2008 international financial crisis, which led to diminishing orders, even more accelerated the areas shift from processing trade to innovation-driven industrial updating, according to Wang.Tuo Xiaorui from the Guangdong Institute of Science and Technology Information said that Guangdong stands apart for its openness and innovation.
It has been a leader for Chinas reform and opening up.
Its proximity to Hong Kong and Macao has actually allowed deepened local cooperation and expanded international science and innovation exchanges.As a production heartland, Guangdong uses not only first-rate commercial chains but also a vibrant environment for development and development.
If you have a concept to construct a robotic or a drone in the early morning, you can discover all the essential parts by the afternoon, stated Zhao Bingbing, the director of Shenzhen Longgang District Artificial Intelligence (Robotics) Administration, which is accountable for jobs such as collaborating development planning, ecosystem building, and application promotion in the AI and robotics sectors.
Shenzhen is a hardware paradise.
The materials and parts required for product development can all be discovered in the GBA, where our items also have application markets.
This creates a healthy and equally useful cycle in the area, according to Liu Dexin, the deputy general supervisor of a Chinese modern enterprise focusing on advanced products found in Chaozhou, Guangdong.
Dongguan has strong manufacturing capacity and a mature supply chain environment.
As business scale from preliminary models to massive delivery, the regional environment likewise makes it possible for quick item iteration and assists them to stay ahead in the market, said Liu Xitong, director of external relations at a business that develops and makes robotic power modules.The company is among over 140 start-ups nurtured by XbotPark, a worldwide robot market base within the Songshan Lake Science City.
XbotPark is devoted to supporting tech business owners by providing financing, resources and mentorship.Apart from XbotPark, the science city –-- an innovation hub that has developed from previous lychee groves –-- is home to numerous other platforms, including the Guangdong Intelligent Robotics Institute and the Songshan Lake Developer Village.
Together, these organizations form a detailed community that supports clinical research study, technology commercialization and business development.This environment finds a parallel in Shenzhens Robot Valley, where over 74,000 robotics-related companies and almost 10 universities have actually clustered, forming a significant center for the robotics market both nationally and globally.Zhuang stated that Guangdong has established 9 commercial clusters, each valued at over 1 trillion yuan.Guangdongs leading commercial chains and ecosystems are just part of the story.
Robust city government assistance additional drives the provinces growth.
We develop new energy marine propulsion systems, requiring water screening.
The city government supplied us with an unusual test dock for our startup.
This was an immense support, especially thinking about the legal and safety obstacles included, said Pan Zongliang, co-founder of a tech business in central Guangdongs Dongguan City.Shenzhens technology development ecosystem centers around business, which greatly supports the development of emerging markets.
The city government is open and inviting to brand-new business and sectors, according to Zhu Yuxiang, a method manager in a robotics business in Shenzhen.The province is also doubling down on skill attraction.Chen Bin, CFO of a 3D vision tech company, noted that the concentration of industries and the emergence of outstanding business have an extremely strong and substantial tourist attraction for talent.From April 13 to 26, the 2025 Millions of Talents Gather in Guangdong spring recruitment occasion attracted 140,000 graduates and got 430,000 resumes, matching over 32,000 candidates.Under this initiative, the province has actually introduced its most enthusiastic talent reward program yet.
It provides essential benefits like employment subsidies, innovation funding, housing assistance and home registration incentives.As for education, Wu Yanling, an inspector with the provincial education department, said Guangdong is focused on enhancing the general strength of college and clinical development to support the provinces high-quality development.According to Wu, the overall number of universities and colleges in the province has actually reached 166.
Given that 2021, over 440 new undergraduate programs have been added in fields such as robotics, incorporated circuits and AI.Zhuang kept in mind that the province likewise prepares to establish emerging industries such as quantum innovation and 6G, while advancing development in AI and embodied AI robotics.
It intends to cultivate more leading enterprises and build large-scale commercial clusters to enhance its manufacturing competitiveness.Guangdong leverages its strengths –-- such as area, industrial chains, innovation ecosystem, government assistance and talent policies –-- to speed up high-quality manufacturing transformation, gradually advancing towards ending up being a global leader in the tech market.