China’s Guangdong province aims for 4.5–5 percent economic growth in 2026, after posting 3.9 percent growth in 2025, below the national rate of 5 percent, Governor Meng Fanli said.

Guangdong also aims to lift general public budget revenue by about 3 percent in 2026, while ensuring that growth in residents’ income keeps pace with economic expansion, Meng said at a government meeting.

In 2025, the province's fiscal revenue rose 3 percent, while total imports and exports climbed 4.4 percent to 9.5 trillion yuan (HK$10.62 trillion), contributing more than 24 percent of China’s overall trade growth, Meng said.

Meng described last year as a pivotal period in China’s push toward modernization and an unusually challenging year for Guangdong’s reform and development, citing efforts to stabilise growth while co-hosting the major national sporting events with Hong Kong and Macau.

The province also accelerated the integration of technological and industrial innovation, with the Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou innovation cluster ranking first globally, he said.

Over the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, Guangdong’s gross domestic product rose from 11.37 trillion yuan to 14.58 trillion yuan, while per capita GDP increased from about 90,000 yuan to 110,000 yuan, Meng said.

He added that the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area has seen deeper integration during the period, with its combined economic output expected to exceed 15 trillion yuan.

China’s Guangdong targets 4.5–5pc growth in 2026