South China's industrial powerhouse of Guangdong Province set a new record for foreign trade in 2025, with total goods trade reaching 9.49 trillion yuan (about 1.36 trillion U.S. dollars), up 4.4 percent year on year, according to the latest official data released by the Guangdong Provincial Branch of the General Administration of Customs.
This figure represented 20.9 percent of China's total foreign trade last year, outperforming other provincial-level regions for the 40th consecutive year.
The province contributed 24.1 percent of China's overall trade growth in 2025, with exports totaling 6.03 trillion yuan (about 866 billion U.S. dollars), an increase of 2.5 percent over the previous year, while imports rose 7.8 percent to 3.46 trillion yuan (about 497 billion U.S. dollars).
Guangdong's trade partners continued to diversify in 2025, with emerging markets playing a more pivotal role.
Trade with its top three trading partners, namely ASEAN, China's Hong Kong, and the European Union, reached 1.53 trillion yuan (about 220 billion U.S. dollars), 1.28 trillion yuan (about 184 billion U.S. dollars) and 1.13 trillion yuan (about 162 billion U.S. dollars), up 5.8 percent, 12.5 percent and 8.4 percent, respectively.
Notably, trade with emerging markets grew even faster. In 2025, Guangdong's exports to and imports from the five Central Asian countries surged by 23.6 percent, while that with Africa and the Middle East rose by 10.7 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively, well above Guangdong's average trade growth rate in the year.
Moreover, trade with Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries totaled 3.66 trillion yuan (about 526 billion U.S. dollars), up 5 percent year on year, representing 38.5 percent of the province's total foreign trade.
The structure of Guangdong's exports continued to shift toward higher value-added, intelligent and sustainable products.
In 2025, Guangdong's exports of mechanical and electrical products reached 4.15 trillion yuan (about 596 billion U.S. dollars), a 7.3-percent increase over 2024 and making up 68.7 percent of total exports.
Key segments showed strong momentum with exports of electronic components, electrical equipment, and computers and related parts rising 20 percent, 16.8 percent and 9.9 percent, respectively.
Green and smart manufacturing products led the charge with exports of drones, 3D printers and industrial robots surging 40.9 percent, 37.1 percent and 33.9 percent, respectively.
Agricultural machinery exports experienced explosive growth, more than doubling compared to the previous year.
On the import side, Guangdong's demand for advanced technology and consumer goods remained robust.
Integrated circuit imports totaled 1.3 trillion yuan (about 187 billion U.S. dollars), up 15.5 percent year on year and accounting for 37.5 percent of total imports. Imports of computers and related parts rose 19.3 percent to 351.9 billion yuan (about 50.53 billion U.S. dollars), while imports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment jumped 33.2 percent to 73.68 billion yuan (about 10.58 billion U.S. dollars).
Meanwhile, imports of essential consumer goods saw double-digit growth, including grain, dairy products, seafood and edible oil, supporting both industrial needs and the people's livelihood.
Guangdong's foreign trade hits record high in 2025
