Guangdong’s foreign trade in 2025: Resilient breakthrough, with outstanding exports of high-tech products.

In 2025, Guangdong’s foreign trade demonstrated strong resilience in a complex and volatile international environment. From the temporary suspension of orders for some foreign trade enterprises after the so-called “reciprocal tariffs” imposed by the United States, to the first time that foreign trade container volume at Guangzhou Port exceeded domestic trade volume; from China-Europe freight trains loaded with household appliances and other goods heading to Europe, to securing $25.65 billion in intended orders at the Autumn Canton Fair, these scenes clearly outline the trajectory of Guangdong’s foreign trade moving forward under pressure. On January 19, the Guangdong Provincial Information Office held a press conference to introduce Guangdong’s import and export situation in 2025. In 2025, Guangdong’s total foreign trade reached 9.49 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.4%, ranking first in the country for 40 consecutive years. Its contribution to the national foreign trade growth reached 24.1%, also ranking first nationwide. Imports totaled 3.46 trillion yuan, an increase of 7.8%; exports totaled 6.03 trillion yuan, an increase of 2.5%. A closer look at this performance reveals that Guangdong’s foreign trade has been stable and progressive, with many highlights. The value of imports and exports increased quarter by quarter, continuously setting new historical highs for the same period; the “new content” of exported products improved, with the export scale of high-tech products exceeding one trillion yuan for the first time, an increase of 15%; imports have maintained year-on-year growth for 13 consecutive months, ranking first among major foreign trade provinces in the country; bonded logistics imports and exports reached 1.93 trillion yuan, accounting for more than 20% of the total import and export value for the first time. In terms of markets and business formats, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is bustling with activity, with over 50,000 inbound and outbound passengers daily and more than 4,000 tons of import and export goods efficiently handled. Its route network covers over 230 destinations worldwide, a testament to Guangdong’s global trade reach and proactive market expansion. Looking at market structure, Guangdong is consolidating traditional markets while accelerating the expansion of emerging markets. By 2025, Guangdong’s imports and exports to its top three trading partners—ASEAN, Hong Kong, and the EU—all exceeded one trillion yuan, representing increases of 5.8%, 12.5%, and 8.4% respectively. ASEAN has remained Guangdong’s largest trading partner for six consecutive years, contributing 21.2% to the province’s foreign trade growth. During the same period, emerging markets such as the five Central Asian countries, Africa, and the Middle East became new engines of foreign trade growth, with import and export growth rates outpacing the province’s overall growth. Imports and exports to countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative reached 3.66 trillion yuan, a 5% increase, accounting for 38.5% of the total import and export value. The product structure is also continuously being optimized. Export products are becoming increasingly characterized by high-end, intelligent, and green features. Exports of electromechanical products reached 4.15 trillion yuan, a 7.3% increase, accounting for 68.7% of total exports, demonstrating the continued consolidation of the advantages of the electronics industry cluster. More significantly, exports of the “new three pillars” representing industrial upgrading and high-tech products performed exceptionally well. Exports of drones, 3D printers, and industrial robots increased by 40.9%, 37.1%, and 33.9% respectively, while exports of lithium batteries and electric vehicles increased by 30.6% and 21.3% respectively. The import structure, on the other hand, closely revolves around industrial upgrading and people’s livelihood needs. In 2025, imports of integrated circuits increased by 15.5%, accounting for 37.5% of total imports; imports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment increased significantly by 33.2%; and imports of consumer goods such as grain and dairy products also maintained double-digit growth. New trade formats and open platforms jointly injected new momentum into foreign trade. In 2025, Guangdong’s bonded logistics imports and exports reached 1.93 trillion yuan, an increase of 9.1%, accounting for over 20% of total imports and exports for the first time. The policy of “tax refund upon departure and post-sale accounting” for cross-border e-commerce exports to overseas warehouses was fully implemented, resulting in a 9.8-fold increase in cross-border e-commerce exports to overseas warehouses throughout the year. Comprehensive bonded zones and free trade zones performed exceptionally well, with import and export growth rates exceeding the province’s overall foreign trade growth rate. In terms of core industries, in 2025, Guangdong’s high-tech product exports exceeded one trillion yuan for the first time, reaching 1.14 trillion yuan, an increase of 15%. Behind these impressive achievements lies the strong leadership of a number of flagship products – lithium batteries, metrology and testing instruments, medical devices, machine tools, 3D printers, and auto parts all rank first in the country in terms of export value, accounting for about 30% of the national total for similar products. Shenzhen is particularly leading in the field of high-tech trade. In 2025, Shenzhen’s imports and exports of high-tech products accounted for nearly 60% of the province’s total imports and exports of similar products, reaching a record high of 1.4 trillion yuan, accounting for 30.7% of the city’s total import and export value, significantly higher than the national and provincial averages. Among them, exports of high-tech products exceeded 700 billion yuan, with metrology and testing instruments, 3D printers, and auto parts ranking first in the country in terms of export scale. The foundation of the resilience of foreign trade also lies in the large number of market entities. In 2025, the number of enterprises in Guangdong with import and export performance reached 172,000, an increase of 17.6%, with a net increase of 26,000, accounting for 31.7% of the national increase during the same period, ranking first in the country in both stock and growth. Among them, private enterprises continued to play a leading role, with 148,000 enterprises achieving a 4.9% increase in imports and exports, accounting for 63.9% of the province’s total foreign trade value. Zhang Ke, Deputy Director of the Guangdong Branch of the General Administration of Customs, emphasized at the press conference that despite the complex and severe external environment, the fundamentals of Guangdong’s foreign trade—”stable foundation, numerous advantages, and great potential”—remain unchanged, with favorable factors outweighing unfavorable ones. This will continue to drive the steady growth and quality improvement of Guangdong’s foreign trade, achieving a good start in the “15th Five-Year Plan” period. Experts suggested that Guangdong should continue to consolidate its global leading position in high-tech products, cultivate emerging markets along the “Belt and Road,” accelerate the development of service trade, digital trade and new business models, strengthen the linkage between domestic and foreign trade, deepen institutional opening-up, and build a high ground for global trade rules.