On February 5th, the Guangdong Provincial High-Quality Development Conferencewas held in Guangzhou. During the sub-forum titled "Accelerating 'Five Linkages (foreign trade, foreign investment, outsourcing, foreign economic cooperation,and foreign intellectual resources)' to enhance international competitiveness of industries," Zhang Jinsong, the Director of the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, stated that in the face of a complicated external environment, Guangdong has risen to the challenge, pushing its foreign trade volume to exceed 9 trillion yuan, representing a growth rate of 9.8%. This increase surpasses the national average growth rate of 5%, and Guangdong's total trade volume has maintained its position as the highest in the country for 39 consecutive years.

Zhang shared three stories to illustrate the advantages of Guangdong's industrial and supply chains that contributed to the province's foreign trade exceeding 9 trillion yuan.

In 2024, Shenzhen's foreign trade exceeded 4 trillion yuan for the first time, reaching 4.5 trillion yuan, which represents a growth of 16.4%. This achievement allows Shenzhen to surpass Shanghai, becoming the "Top 1 City in Foreign Trade" in China again after nine years. The driving force behind this success lies in Shenzhen's years of focused development in 20 dominant industries, including electronic information and high-end equipment.

Zhang pointed out that we can observe the dynamic integration of industry and trade across Guangdong from Shenzhen. Currently, Guangdong has established eight trillion-yuan-level industrial clusters, three five-hundred-billion-yuan-level clusters, and seven hundred-billion-yuan-level clusters. Notably, Guangdong accounts for 70% of the global consumer-grade drone production, 40% of smartphones, as well as one-third of the country's industrial robots, one-quarter of new energy vehicles, and one-fifth of integrated circuits.

In 2024, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport added, resumed, or increased the frequency of 76 international routes, with a cargo throughput of 1.59 million tons, marking a 15.5% growth. This made Baiyun Airport the second-largest in China in terms of total cargo volume. Zhang stated, "The increasingly dense air network of Baiyun Airport reflects Guangdong's global business network connectivity." Guangdong benefits from excellent transportation infrastructure, with convenient air, land, and sea connections. Cities within the Greater Bay Area are accessible within one hour, while cities in eastern, western, and northern Guangdong are within two hours. Major Chinese and Southeast Asian cities can be reached within three hours. Additionally, 455 international cargo routes connect Guangdong to key countries and ports worldwide.

In January 2024, the BYD "Explorer No. 1" roll-on/roll-off ship, carrying over 5,000 new energy vehicles, made its maiden voyage from Xiaomo Port in Shanwei to Europe. In the previous year, BYD's exports of new energy vehicles surpassed 400,000 units, marking a remarkable growth of 70%. Zhang summarized, "The new trade momentum represented by new energy vehicles reflects Guangdong's positive and innovative development landscape in foreign trade, showcasing the resilience and vitality of Guangdong's foreign trade in facing challenges and navigating through cyclical changes."

Source: Lingnan on the Cloud

广东外贸规模突破9万亿元背后的三个小故事

2月5日，广东省高质量发展大会在广州召开。在“高水平推进‘五外联动’ 提升产业国际竞争力”分论坛上，广东省商务厅厅长张劲松表示，面对复杂严峻的外部形势，广东迎难而上，推动外贸迈上9万亿元大关，增长9.8%，增幅高于全国平均水平（5%），总量连续39年位居全国第一。

张劲松通过三个小故事，分享了广东外贸突破9万亿元背后的产业链供应链优势。

2024年，深圳外贸首次突破4万亿元，达到4.5万亿元，增长16.4%，超越上海，时隔9年再度成为全国“外贸第一城”。支撑这一成绩的是深圳多年来深耕电子信息、高端装备等20个主导产业积累的强劲动力。张劲松指出：“透过深圳这个窗口，我们可以看到广东全域产贸融合正在聚能成势。”目前，广东已形成8个万亿级、3个五千亿级、7个千亿级产业集群，全球70%的消费级无人机、40%的智能手机以及全国1/3的工业机器人、1/4的新能源汽车、1/5的集成电路来自广东。

2024年，广州白云机场新增、恢复或加密国际航线76条，货物吞吐量达159万吨，增长15.5%，总量位居全国第二。张劲松表示：“白云机场这张越织越密的空中之网，就是广东商贸网络链接全球的真实写照。”广东海陆空交通便利，大湾区城市1小时内通达，2小时通达粤东粤西粤北，3小时通达国内和东南亚主要城市，455条国际货物航线覆盖全球主要国家和港口。

2024年1月，搭载5000多台新能源车的比亚迪“开拓者1号”滚装船从汕尾小漠港首航，奔赴欧洲。去年全年，比亚迪新能源汽车出口突破40万辆，增长70%。张劲松总结道：“以新能源汽车为代表的外贸新动能，折射出广东外贸向上向新的发展图景，彰显了广东外贸应对挑战、穿越周期的韧性和活力。”

文｜记者 孙绮曼
图｜记者 汤铭明 羊城晚报资料图
译｜林佳岱
英文审校｜王枥焓