Foreign trade in the nine mainland cities in south China's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) went up 18.8 percent in the first five months of 2026 year over year, the latest data released Friday by the Guangdong branch of the General Administration of Customs showed.
The nine cities in the GBA refer to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, and Zhaoqing in Guangdong Province. Together with the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, these cities form one of China's most dynamic economic hubs.
According to the data, the total imports and exports of the nine mainland cities in the GBA reached 4.28 trillion yuan (about 630 billion U.S. dollars) in the first five months, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.8 percent and accounting for 20.7 percent of the national total.
Specifically, the cities' exports amounted to 2.53 trillion yuan, up 10.7 percent, while their imports reached 1.75 trillion yuan, up 32.7 percent, compared with the same period last year.
From January to May, the year-over-year growth rate of imports in the nine cities significantly outpaced that of exports, indicating a strong recovery in domestic demand.
The nine cities' imports of computers and computer components totaled 254.26 billion yuan, up 49.5 percent, and their imports of consumer goods such as edible vegetable oil and beef grew by 130 percent and 70.9 percent, respectively.
High-tech products led the way of export growth in these cities during the five months, with the export of 3D printers, digital cameras, and drones growing by 120 percent, 70.9 percent, and 27.6 percent, respectively.
"So far this year, the total import and export volumes of China's AI-related products have shown a month-by-month expanding trend, meeting the demand for intelligent upgrading of domestic industries on the one hand and offering a stable supply for the development of the global AI industry on the other," said Lyu Daliang, director of the Department of Statistics and Analysis at the General Administration of Customs, in an interview with China Media Group.
Greater Bay Area's 9 mainland cities post strong trade growth in Jan-May
