While visiting Guangdong, the largest contributor to China's GDP at the provincial level, Premier Li Qiang stressed the importance of the province maintaining its position as a leader in the national economy.
Li encouraged Guangdong to enhance its strengths in innovative development and be at the forefront of reform and opening up during his visit from Saturday to Monday.
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His request for support is made in the context of ongoing economic challenges facing China in the new year. Guangdong officials are stepping up to the task, making uncommon commitments to maintain the province's position as a key economic driver, despite strong competition from Jiangsu.
Li urged for swift and resolute actions to kick off the nation's 15th five-year plan (2026–2030). He emphasized the need for enterprises to capitalize on opportunities and innovate boldly to boost the economy's growth.
Guangdong's senior officials promised to use innovative strategies, demonstrate high levels of effort, and carry out impressive projects to manage the global manufacturing industry during a conference on investment promotion.
Specific steps involve speeding up important projects to boost successful investment and removing obstacles to private capital, allowing for the complete stimulation of private sector investment.
While visiting the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Park, Li emphasized the need for more assistance to companies in terms of policies, funding, and skilled workers. This support should be facilitated by the resources available in the Greater Bay Area, with the goal of making advancements in new industries and essential technologies.
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During his visits to local robotics companies, he highlighted the significance of enhancing and developing practical applications to speed up the enhancement of products, like robots and drones, through wider use.
Li also toured a land port in Foshan city that facilitates cross-border trade, as well as the prominent home appliance manufacturer Midea.
He emphasized the importance of creating innovative products to cater to evolving consumer needs to promote a positive relationship between demand and supply.
Guangdong, known as China's economic and export hub, has consistently ranked first in GDP among the nation's 31 provincial-level regions. Despite this, its advantage over Jiangsu, which holds the second position, has been decreasing. In 2024, Guangdong's GDP reached approximately 14.2 trillion yuan (US$2.03 trillion), representing a 3.5 percent increase compared to the previous year.
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This placed Guangdong slightly ahead of Jiangsu, whose GDP was 13.7 trillion yuan with a growth rate of 5.8 percent, making it the fifth consecutive year that Jiangsu's growth rate surpassed Guangdong's.