Guangdong, South China's economic powerhouse got off to a strong start in 2026, with industrial output, foreign trade, and consumer markets all showing robust growth.

According to the latest data from Guangdong customs authorities, the province's foreign trade surged to 1.64 trillion yuan in the first two months of the year, setting a new record for the same period. Both exports and imports grew by over 20 percent.

Guangdong's trade accounted for 21.2 percent of the national total during the Jan-Feb period, up 0.7 percentage points from a year ago. The province contributed 24.7 percent to the country's overall trade growth, ranking first among all provincial-level regions in both scale and contribution.

Data from the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Statistics released on March 19 showed that industrial output continued to gain momentum. The value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size rose by 7.9 percent year-on-year in the first two months.

The consumer market also heated up, boosted by the Spring Festival holiday. The province raked in 84.89 billion yuan in tourism revenue during the holiday, up 13.9 percent. Retail sales of consumer goods climbed 4.6 percent in Jan-Feb, 1.8 percentage points higher than the full-year growth in 2025. 

Sales of clothing, footwear, and cosmetics saw significant increases. Car sales rebounded notably, with new energy vehicle sales jumping 17.8 percent.

Source: Guangzhou Daily
Reporter: Zhao Fangyuan
English Author & Editor: Lyu Yun