Guangdong's Dongguan maintained an average annual foreign trade volume of over 1.3 trillion yuan during China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025), with exports of electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products—dubbed the "new three"—experiencing rapid growth, officials said at a press conference Monday.
From January to November 2025, the city's total trade reached 1.436 trillion yuan, up 14.3% year-on-year, leading major trade hubs in the province and nationwide. Officials expect the full-year trade volume in 2025 to set a new record.
He Juncong, an official from the Bureau of Commerce of Dongguan City, stated that the city implemented strategies to boost exports in five key sectors—mobile phones, textiles, furniture, toys, and food—to navigate fluctuations in the international market.
"Trade with ASEAN, the Middle East, and five Central Asian countries rose 38.7% compared with the previous five-year period," He noted.
Strong foreign trade has supported Dongguan's economic growth. Over the past five years, the city's annual GDP surpassed 1.2 trillion yuan, and in 2024, its industrial added value ranked second in the province, with large-scale industrial revenue among the top ten nationwide.
Zeng Jianpeng, Vice Mayor of Dongguan, mentioned that the city has promoted digital transformation across 70% of large industrial enterprises and cultivated over 300 national-level "Little Giant" companies, the highest among prefecture-level cities in Guangdong.
"Dongguan produces nearly one-quarter of the world's smartphones and about 85% of China's trendy collectibles," Zeng said. "As a 'world factory,' the city's high-quality development continues to advance."
Investments in technology upgrades totaled 336.6 billion yuan, an increase of over 50% during the five-year period, according to officials at the conference.
"Emerging sectors, including new materials, new energy, and semiconductors, are expected to exceed 100 billion, 80 billion, and 60 billion yuan, respectively," said Liu Qingtang, an official from the Bureau of Industry and Information Technology.
As a key city in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Dongguan has strengthened infrastructure and regulatory connectivity with Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR over the past five years.
"One of the most successful examples is the Hong Kong International Airport Dongguan Logistic Park, which is the world's first cross-border air-sea transport hub," Zeng added.
Reporter: Xie Hongzhou
Photo: Xie Hongzhou
Editor: Yuan Zixiang, James Campion, Shen He
