On April 9, the Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office hosted a special briefing in Guangzhou, highlighting the province's robust industrial development and future plans.

The special briefing hosted by Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office, on April 9, 2025. (Photo: Pan Jiajun)

Diplomats from more than 60 countries attended, seeking opportunities to strengthen ties with one of China's economic powerhouses.

"Over the past four years, Guangdong's foreign trade has surged past RMB 9 trillion, reaching RMB 9.11 trillion in 2024, with a 9.8% year-on-year growth," said Shuang Dehui, Deputy Director-General of the Guangdong Commerce Department. "We invite everyone to seize this momentum and deepen bilateral trade cooperation"

Shuang Dehui, Deputy Director-General of the Guangdong Commerce Department, on April 9, 2025. (Photo: Pan Jiajun)

He added that Guangdong now produces 70% of the world's commercial drones and 40% of smartphones, driven by strong industrial clusters in sectors such as electronic information, textiles, and home appliances.

Jiao Jun, Deputy Director-General of the Guangdong Development and Reform Commission, emphasized the breadth of Guangdong's manufacturing landscape: "We have all 31 categories of national industries, and 15 of them rank first in the country."

Many consular officials expressed strong interest in emerging sectors such as services, new energy, and especially e-commerce.

"E-commerce is one way for us to get our products into the Chinese market," said Iric C. Arribas, Philippine Consul General in Guangzhou. "We can see more and more cooperation in this field between China and ASEAN."

Consular officials attending the briefing, on April 9, 2025. (Photo: Pan Jiajun)

Education was also high on the agenda. Sarah Mann, British Consul General to Guangzhou, cited successful UK-China partnerships in higher education and inquired about Guangdong's outlook on future collaboration.

"We will continue to invest in education," responded Qian Hongjie, Deputy Director-General of the Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office. "If you have quality educational resources, we warmly welcome you to bring them to Guangdong."

Video & Photo | Pan Jiajun

Poster | Lai Meiya