Guangdong officials have pledged to implement a national "AI plus" strategy, embedding artificial intelligence across its massive economy to drive industrial upgrading. The province, a critical global manufacturing hub, aims to accelerate AI commercialization, build computing infrastructure, and develop a self-sufficient AI ecosystem.
This push is also framed as a response to geopolitical tensions, with efforts to substitute imported technology in areas like semiconductors where China faces U.S. restrictions. Leaders from major cities and state-owned enterprises emphasized advancing AI in key sectors, including autonomous driving and advanced manufacturing, to reduce external dependencies and set China-led standards.
Officials and executives in Guangdong, China's southern manufacturing and tech âhub, on Friday vowed to expand âartificial intelligence across its $2 trillion economy, a day after Beijing âlaunched an "AI plus" strategy to embed the technology throughout the economy.
They made the comments at an event discussing a new government work report and five-year policy blueprint that, for the first âtime, puts â AI-driven industrial â upgrading at the centre of economic growth.
As a critical link in global supply chains, producing smartphones, âappliances and electric vehicles, Guangdong's ability to deploy AI will also shape how far the âEuropean Union and United States can de-risk their supply chains from China amid rising geopolitical tension.
Guangdong is China's largest provincial economy, ranking first nationwide for âmore than three decades
The province recorded GDP â of about â14.6 trillion yuan ($2.1 trillion) in 2025, making it a âlarger economy âthan countries like Australia
Guangdong governor Meng Fanli said the â province would deepen "AI plus" applications across sectors and push the large-scale âcommercialisation of AI
Guangdong's Communist Party secretary Huang âKunming said the province would speed up construction of new infrastructure, including large-scale computing clusters
Qin Weizhong, mayor of China's premier tech hub Shenzhen, said value added in sectors like AI, robotics, and semiconductors posted double-digit growth last year
Strategic emerging industries accounted for 43% of Shenzhen's GDP, Qin said. Shenzhen is âhome to tech giants such as Huawei, Tencent, and DJI
The mayor said Shenzhen was accelerating domestic substitution in chipmaking equipment, âcomputing clusters âand EDA software - areas where â China lags the United States and faces restrictive U.S. controls
He also urged stronger central support to build a self-sufficient AI hardware and software ecosystem and âto expand China-led standards in areas such as AI and smart vehicles
A provincial state-asset official said Guangdong would guide state capital toward advanced manufacturing, including sectors such as AI and drones
Feng Xingya, chairman of automaker GAC Group, said the company would deepen the use of AI models in autonomous driving systems.
They made the comments at an event discussing a new government work report and five-year policy blueprint that, for the first âtime, puts â AI-driven industrial â upgrading at the centre of economic growth.
As a critical link in global supply chains, producing smartphones, âappliances and electric vehicles, Guangdong's ability to deploy AI will also shape how far the âEuropean Union and United States can de-risk their supply chains from China amid rising geopolitical tension.
Guangdong is China's largest provincial economy, ranking first nationwide for âmore than three decades
The province recorded GDP â of about â14.6 trillion yuan ($2.1 trillion) in 2025, making it a âlarger economy âthan countries like Australia
Guangdong governor Meng Fanli said the â province would deepen "AI plus" applications across sectors and push the large-scale âcommercialisation of AI
Guangdong's Communist Party secretary Huang âKunming said the province would speed up construction of new infrastructure, including large-scale computing clusters
Qin Weizhong, mayor of China's premier tech hub Shenzhen, said value added in sectors like AI, robotics, and semiconductors posted double-digit growth last year
Strategic emerging industries accounted for 43% of Shenzhen's GDP, Qin said. Shenzhen is âhome to tech giants such as Huawei, Tencent, and DJI
The mayor said Shenzhen was accelerating domestic substitution in chipmaking equipment, âcomputing clusters âand EDA software - areas where â China lags the United States and faces restrictive U.S. controls
He also urged stronger central support to build a self-sufficient AI hardware and software ecosystem and âto expand China-led standards in areas such as AI and smart vehicles
A provincial state-asset official said Guangdong would guide state capital toward advanced manufacturing, including sectors such as AI and drones
Feng Xingya, chairman of automaker GAC Group, said the company would deepen the use of AI models in autonomous driving systems.
Meridiano
