Emerging pillars
Vehicles, displays, biomedicine, materials, software and intelligent equipment.
Guangzhou · Guangdong · 2026–2030
Guangzhou’s 15th Five-Year Plan
广州市国民经济和社会发展第十五个五年规划纲要
A working map of Guangzhou’s next five years: industrial transition, Greater Bay Area opening, global transport gateways, population change, public services, climate commitments and a new geography of urban growth.
- Strategic industries
- 15
- R&D intensity
- ≈4%
- Airport passengers
- 110m
- Life expectancy
- ≥85
The plan in plain English
Manufacturing is the base; trade, science and gateways make it scale
Guangzhou’s plan is organised around a practical growth model. It protects established manufacturing, concentrates resources on new industrial chains, uses real urban scenarios to commercialise technology, and converts airport, port and rail traffic into logistics, trade and production value. The 15+8 system is the portfolio; district platforms are the delivery map.
Industrial architecture
The 15+8 portfolio, without the shorthand
Strategic pioneers
AI, chips, new energy, aerospace and biomanufacturing.
Distinctive strengths
Fashion goods, rail transit, marine equipment and intelligent construction.
Modern services
Finance, technology and professional services plus commerce, logistics, exhibitions, culture and tourism.
Strategic industries
All fifteen industries and what Guangzhou wants from them
The plan does more than name sectors. It identifies products, enabling technologies and points in the value chain where Guangzhou wants deeper local capability.
Intelligent connected and new-energy vehicles
Complete vehicles, intelligent driving, batteries, vehicle-grade chips and smart cabins. The plan targets more than RMB 1 trillion in annual automotive output.
Ultra-HD video and new displays
High-generation panels, flexible AMOLED, Micro-LED, optical components, display equipment and intelligent display terminals.
Biomedicine and health
Innovative drugs, modern Chinese medicine, high-end medical devices, cell and gene therapy and nuclear medicine.
Green petrochemicals and new materials
Cleaner refining plus materials for vehicles, chips, displays, new energy and biomanufacturing.
Software and internet
Industrial, foundational, information-security and domestic-stack software, supported by open-source ecosystems.
Intelligent equipment and robotics
Industrial machine tools, precision instruments, industrial and service robots, additive manufacturing and complete intelligent systems.
Artificial intelligence
Multimodal and vertical models, agents, intelligent terminals and AI-enabled robots, with applications in industry, transport, health, energy, services and city management.
Semiconductors and integrated circuits
High-end design, specialised process manufacturing, vehicle chips, advanced packaging and third-generation semiconductors.
New energy and new energy storage
Smart grids, long-life storage, sodium-ion batteries, hydrogen, distributed photovoltaics and controlled-fusion research.
Low-altitude economy and aerospace
eVTOL aircraft, flying cars, drones, aviation maintenance, rockets, low-orbit satellites and satellite internet.
Biomanufacturing
Bio-based materials and chemicals, medical beauty and regenerative products, new proteins, functional foods and environmental applications.
Fashion consumer goods
Apparel, leather goods, cosmetics, jewellery, lighting and audio, custom furniture, food and smart appliances.
Rail transit
Rolling stock, shields, power and signalling systems, smart maintenance, testing, TOD and international services.
Ships and offshore engineering
High-value container ships, cruise ships and yachts, offshore equipment, green vessels and intelligent unmanned systems.
Intelligent construction
Digital design, construction robots, modular and prefabricated buildings, with deployment in urban villages and housing.
Modern services
Eight services that support production and global exchange
Modern finance
Futures and options, equity markets, asset and wealth management, cross-border finance and patient capital for industry.
Science and technology services
Technology transfer, pilot-scale validation, testing, intellectual property and research services.
Professional services
R&D and industrial design, certification, human resources, legal, accounting, advertising and consulting.
Modern commerce
Wholesale and retail renewal, commodity trading, consumption landmarks and new retail formats.
Logistics and supply chains
A 5+10+N logistics network linking airport, seaport, rail and distribution hubs.
Conventions and exhibitions
The Canton Fair, one-industry-one-exhibition programmes and stronger links between exhibitions, investment and trade.
Cultural and creative industries
Games, animation, short drama, music, performance, design and AI-enabled cultural production.
Tourism and leisure
Urban culture, waterfronts, cruise tourism, sports events, rural tourism and destination services.
Future industry
Four fields beyond the current portfolio
Embodied intelligence
Robot bodies, high-torque reducers, sensors, joint modules, dexterous hands, foundation models and robot operating systems. Guangzhou proposes specialised training grounds and demonstration scenarios.
Frontier materials
Metamaterials, superconductors, carbon nanotubes, 2D semiconductors, high-entropy alloys, aerogels, quantum dots, graphene and advanced 3D-printing materials.
Future networks
6G, space–air–ground communications and optical networks, including immersive communication and ultra-reliable low-latency applications.
Quantum technology
Quantum computing, precision measurement and communications, with pilots in finance, transport, healthcare, meteorology and environmental protection.
Industrial geography
Where six major chains are meant to concentrate
These locations are compiled from the plan’s sector chapters and industry columns. They show concentration areas, not exclusive boundaries.
Automotive
Panyu, Nansha, Huangpu and Huadu for vehicles; Zengcheng, Baiyun and Conghua for components.
Displays and chips
Huangpu for panels and analogue-chip chains; Zengcheng for materials, sensors and specialised processes; Nansha for wide-bandgap semiconductors; Yuexiu for video content.
Low-altitude and aerospace
Huangpu, Zengcheng and Nansha for the low-altitude economy; Huadu, Baiyun and the airport zone for aviation; Nansha, Huangpu and Conghua for commercial spaceflight.
Biomedicine
International Bio Island, Knowledge City, Nansha, Panyu, Tianhe, Liwan, Yuexiu and Conghua form a network of drug, device, clinical and translation platforms.
Rail transit
Baiyun as the core, with Huadu, Panyu and Nansha supporting equipment, maintenance, operations and services.
New materials and storage
Huangpu, Nansha and Conghua for new materials; Huangpu, Baiyun and Huadu for hydrogen and energy-storage platforms.
City structure
One belt, one axis, three cores and four growth poles
The spatial strategy connects the Pearl River, an innovation axis and three broad growth belts. It also asks the central city to release non-core functions while peripheral districts improve jobs–housing balance.
Pearl River development belt
Zhujiang New Town, Guangzhou International Financial City and Pazhou form a high-value service and innovation core; the rear channel, western waterfront and historic central areas are renewed as connected corridors.
Eastern growth belt
Guangzhou East Centre, Knowledge City, Science City, International Bio Island and Tianhe Smart City combine R&D, conversion and production. Priority chains include vehicles, chips, displays, biomedicine, AI, low-altitude industries and new energy.
Central–northern growth belt
Baiyun Airport, Guangzhou Baiyun Station, Guangzhou North Station and the international port support aviation, rail, logistics and fashion. Baiyun and Huadu anchor aviation and rail-transit functions.
Southwestern growth belt
Nansha, Pazhou, Panyu Auto City, Guangzhou South Station and Liwan industrial platforms connect opening, digital activity and advanced manufacturing. Nansha concentrates vehicles, ships, semiconductors, low-altitude industries and marine functions.
Three urban cores
The historic-cultural core in the old city, the modern vitality core in Guangzhou East Centre and the future development core in Nansha.
Four growth poles
The northern growth pole, Shiziyang growth pole, National Knowledge Centre City and Conghua Green Development Demonstration Zone.
International reading
Eight issues beyond the industry list
For readers comparing Guangzhou with other global cities, the plan is also a statement about cross-border integration, demographic change, urban services and environmental performance.
Greater Bay Area integration
Nansha is the principal platform for working with Hong Kong and Macao. The plan connects cross-border professional recognition, transport, finance, research infrastructure, healthcare and youth programmes rather than treating the bay area as a slogan.
Global trade and supply chains
The Canton Fair, digital trade, cross-border e-commerce, commodity trading, green marine fuels and overseas services are tied to a citywide logistics system. Guangzhou wants local industrial chains to sell and operate internationally.
Migration, ageing and family policy
The city plans services around permanent residents, supports migrant urbanisation, proposes 90,000 affordable childcare places, develops long-term care and the silver economy, and seeks to direct population toward peripheral districts.
Climate and urban environment
The plan commits to reaching the carbon-peaking goal, a PM2.5 annual average no higher than 20 μg/m³, cleaner energy, circular resource use and protection of mountain, river, wetland and coastal ecological systems.
Housing and urban renewal
Urban-village redevelopment, unsafe housing, complete communities, affordable rental housing and “good houses” are treated as linked questions of safety, affordability, services and neighbourhood quality.
Education and health capacity
The plan raises the general high-school entry target to at least 70%, expands vocational and university capacity, builds major medical centres and proposes a citywide 15-minute primary-health service network.
Heritage and cultural production
Guangzhou links the Maritime Silk Road and traditional central axis heritage bids with Cantonese culture, historic districts, digital culture, performance, sport and international tourism.
Metropolitan connectivity
Airport, seaport, high-speed rail, intercity rail and metro networks are designed to connect Guangzhou with Hong Kong, Macao and surrounding Pearl River Delta cities while supporting jobs and services around major hubs.
Measurable commitments
Fifteen numbers that make the plan testable
Annual GDP growth
Average during 2026–2030.
Labour productivity
Per worker by 2030.
Industrial output
Total industrial output by 2030.
15+8 value added
Share of city GDP.
Digital-economy core
Share of city GDP.
Marine economy
Gross ocean product.
R&D intensity
R&D expenditure as a share of GDP.
Enterprise R&D
Share of total R&D funded by enterprises.
High-value patents
Per 10,000 people.
Airport throughput
Passengers and cargo/mail.
Port throughput
Cargo and TEU containers.
PM2.5
Annual average, μg/m³.
Upper-secondary entry
General high-school enrolment rate.
Children in childcare
Share of children under age three.
Life expectancy
Years at birth.
Reading the implementation logic
Six mechanisms that connect the outline to delivery
- Make industry place-specificThe plan repeatedly assigns chains to districts and named parks, turning the 15+8 portfolio into an investment and land-use geography.
- Use scenarios as industrial policyAI, low-altitude systems, autonomous vehicles, medical devices, new materials and robots receive real-world testing and first-use opportunities.
- Connect science to productionMajor laboratories, national innovation centres, pilot-scale platforms and enterprise-led R&D are linked through technology-transfer mechanisms.
- Convert gateway flows into valueAirport, port and rail hubs are paired with logistics, trade, exhibitions, maintenance, manufacturing and business services.
- Open through NanshaThree starter areas, cross-border rules, financial and technology platforms and Hong Kong–Macao collaboration make Nansha the main institutional-opening platform.
- Fund and monitor deliveryThe outline calls for annual plans, sector and district alignment, a major-project pipeline, monitoring, mid-term evaluation and final evaluation.
Why the gateway targets matter
Guangzhou treats infrastructure as an economic platform
Airport110m passengers3.5m tonnes cargo/mail
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport supports aviation services, biomedicine, fashion, logistics and a wider airport economy.
Port740m tonnes cargo31m TEU
Nansha and Huangpu link shipping to vehicles, marine engineering, materials, energy, trade and supply-chain services.
Rail5 main + 4 auxiliary hubs10 external high-speed corridors
Major stations are planned as mixed industrial, logistics, commercial and urban centres rather than transport facilities alone.
Primary sources
Official publication and source document
The municipal government publication contains the approved outline, indicator table, sector actions and project columns.
View the official plan ↗English summaries on this page are editorial guidance. The approved Chinese document remains authoritative.
Download the Chinese DOCX ↓