EHang's unmanned autonomous vehicle flies over the China-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City.

Guangzhou has welcomed 127 new national-level "little giant" enterprises — specialized and innovative SMEs — in China's seventh recognition round, marking a record 19.8 percent year-on-year increase announced on October 20.

An intelligent production line at Ruisong Intelligent Technology

By the end of 2024, the city had nurtured 354 national "little giants" and 6,399 specialized SMEs, forming a robust pipeline of high-potential enterprises. These firms have become a powerful engine for Guangzhou's economy, generating over 800 billion yuan in total annual revenue, with the "little giants" alone contributing 127.9 billionyuan.

MoonBiotech, a new "Little Giant" enterprise, maintains a large-scale microbial strain resource library.

Notably, 77.8percent of Guangzhou's new listed companies in 2024 were from this cohort, bringing the total number of listed specialized enterprises to 27. 

Experts attribute the growth to Guangzhou's strong foundation in hard tech and sustainable innovation, highlighting these enterprises as key drivers of the city's future economic resilience.

Against a backdrop of global economic shifts and industrial upgrading in China, “little giants”are becoming a crucial measure of urban competitiveness. Nationwide, China had cultivated 14,600 "little Giant" enterprises by the end of 2024.

Source: Guangzhou Daily
Reporters: Ding Xiong, He Yingsi
Photos:Yang Yaoye, Wang Weixuan
English Author & Editor: Lyu Yun