Guangdong Province is located in the subtropical zone. It has a land area of 179,800 square kilometers and a coastal line of 3,368 kilometers. In 2003, the number of its permanent residents was 79.54 million. Guangdong enjoys a peculiar geographic advantage, as it owns beautiful natural scenes, abundant resources and mild climate.

Guangdong has the longest history of shipping and foreign trade.

Being the south gate of China geographically, and with convenient and complete road and sea transportation, Guangdong began to develop shipping and foreign trade at a very early time. It has the longest and prolonged history of shipping and foreign trade. It has become an important trading port of China. What is more, it is the starting point of the famous “Silk Road on the Sea” in the history. Guangdong’s Lingnan culture can be traced back to the remote past. It is good at absorbing the cultural quintessence of all countries in the world. Currently, it is striving to intensify its cultural building, which will lay a solid foundation for its economic and social development.

Guangdong ranks first in comprehensive economic strength in the country.

Keeping the pragmatic spirit in mind, and adhering to the concept of sustainable and scientific development, the people of Guangdong have successfully promoted the coordinated development of material civilization, moral civilization and political civilization and enhanced the industrialization with informationization. From 1979 to 2003, the GDP of Guangdong has been increasing at a rate of two digits for consecutive 24 years. In 2003, its GDP hit USD 162.5 billion, accounting for 11.5% of the national total, increased by 13.6%, which is the highest increase rate since 1995. The main indicators of its national economy keep ahead in the country, including total volume of retail sales of consumer goods, industrial added value, personal savings deposits of residents, tax revenue, fiscal revenue, total fixed assets investment and goods handling capacity, etc.

The development of Guangdong’s foreign economic cooperation and trade attracts worldwide attention.

In 2003, Guangdong’s import and export value reached USD 283.646 billion, accounting for 33.3% of the national total, ranking first in China for consecutive 18 years, among which the export value was USD 152.944 billion, accounting for 34.9% of the national total. By the end of 2003, the accumulated actual utilized FDI capital of Guangdong reached USD 140.5 billion, among which USD 15.578 billion was absorbed in 2003, accounting for 29.13% of the national total. Guangdong has established trade relations with more than 200 countries and regions. More than 100 countries and regions have made their investment in the province. The top 500 multinationals have set up 404 enterprises in Guangdong. More than 100,000 foreign-invested enterprises have been approved to settle down in Guangdong, including more than 30,000 export-oriented processing and assembly enterprises engaging in various industries scattering all over the province.

Guangdong has been continuously deepening its opening-up policy.

Nineteen countries have set up their consulates general in Guangzhou. In spring and autumn every year, the Chinese Export Commodities Fair is held in Guangzhou; likewise, the China Hi-Tech Fair is held in Shenzhen every year. Business people from all over the world pour into Guangdong to attend these two fairs and bring with them boundless business opportunities. Guangdong Province has three Special Economic Zones (SEZ), namely Shenzhen SEZ, Zhuhai SEZ and Shantou SEZ. Also, it has 18 development zones of national level as well as 64 development zones of provincial level. Guangdong will further optimize and integrate these zones to be the preferred investment destinations of multinationals and other foreign investors. Its all-orientation, multi-level and wide area opening structure provides the investors with vast development space.

Guangdong’s infrastructure construction is continuously improving.

In 2003, Guangdong invested USD 22.94 billion in its infrastructure construction. It has ample electricity supply. A generating set with total installed power generation capacity of 3,000 megawatts was newly built. It has a well-developed telecommunication system. The province’s mobile phone users reached 40,550,000; the number of program-controlled telephone users was 25,670,000; and Internet users 11,070,000. Guangdong has built a complete water, road and air transportation network. Road ramifies all over the province. The total mileage of the highways and expressways is 110,000 kilometers, among which the mileage of expressways is 2,412 kilometers. By the end of 2004, all 21 cities of the province will be connected with expressways. The Beijing-Guangzhou Railway and Beijing-Kowloon Railway, two trunk railways running from the north to the south of China, run through Guangdong Province. Guangdong has 7 airports, including one of the 3 air hubs of China, namely Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, and 6 other big airports located respectively in Shenzhen, Shantou, Zhuhai, Foshan, Zhanjiang and Meizhou. The total annual goods handling capacity of its main coastal ports is 423,910,000 tons, among which the container handling capacity is 18,386,800 TEU. Its main coastal ports include Yantian Port of Shenzhen, Guangzhou Port, Zhanjiang Port, Shantou Port, Shekou Port and some deepwater fine ports. Among these ports, Yantian port is one of the world’s top 10 ports. Guangdong is open to navigation to over 1,100 ports in more than 130 countries and regions. The well-developed infrastructures and complete services are strengthening the sustained economic development of Guangdong.

Guangdong has a complete industrial system and great market potentials.

Guangdong’s 9 pillar industries have taken shape, they are: textiles and garments, foodstuff and beverages, construction materials, electronics and information, electric appliances and machinery, petrochemical, forestation and papermaking, pharmaceutical, automobile. It has strong capability of manufacturing and processing. It is one of the biggest manufacturing bases in China and even in the world. The number of Guangdong’s applications for scientific invention intellectual property right ranks first for consecutive years. The enterprises’ creative power and the industries’ international competitive power take the leading positions in China. The Pearl River Delta is Guangdong’s hub for foreign investments. This area’s electronics and information and home electric appliances enterprise cluster and industrial cluster are beginning to take shape and its power of stimulating the development of the neighboring areas is continuously strengthening. Presently, Guangdong is speeding up its strategic adjustment of economic structure. Its objective is to endeavor to develop high and new technology industries focusing on information technology, in the meantime, to reform and enhance the traditional industries with advanced and applicable technologies and high and new technologies, and to accelerate the development of automobile, petrochemical and modern service industries. Investors of various industries can grasp these business opportunities, with which to make great advances and get high returns.

Guangdong’s soft investment environment is getting better and better.

Guangdong is always ready to provide its best services to the guests and investors worldwide. Complying with the WTO rules and the laws and regulations of China, Guangdong is promoting the system of governing the province according to law on a allround basis. With an improving foreign economic laws and regulations system, Guangdong has built a comparatively complete market economic system and a comparatively mature market mechanism. As the concept of credibility of the society has been increadingly strengthened, the legitimate rights and interests of the investors, enterprises and its staff are well safeguarded. The province has various talents and high quality labor force. There are 71 colleges and universities, 37 adult education schools and 181 engineering research (technology) centers of provincial level and above in this province. Its state-owned enterprises and institutions have a total of 1.058 million technicians. The government is striving to promote an open administration system, as a result, the transparency and efficiency of its administration have been greatly enhanced. There are many intermediation organizations and relative organs of various levels than can provide the traders and investors with high quality and high efficiency services. Thanks to all the above efforts, Guangdong’s comprehensive soft investment environment is getting more and more improved.

The Greater Pearl River Delta is highly attractive and offers wide space for development.

Thanks to the implementation of “CEPA”(Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement), Guangdong can integrate its advantages in manufacturing, technology, market, labor force and resources with those of Hong Kong and Macao in international trading, finance, management and talents and has built a “Greater Pearl River Delta” economic zone, within which Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will enhance the cooperations among them. Guangdong is focusing on developing manufacturing industry and is dedicated to become one of the most important manufacturing bases of the world, while Hong Kong is focusing on promoting modern logistics, finance and trading with an objective to turn itself into one of the world’s most important modern service industry centers, and likewise, Macao is focusing on developing tourism and gambling. Their advantages are complementary to each other, they make advancement together. In the meantime, the “Van Pearl River Delta” economic zone is slowly taking shape. This zone covers 9 provinces and regions including Guangdong, Hunan, Hainan, Fujian, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Jiangxi and 2 SARs including Hong Kong and Macao. Guangdong’s geographic superiority is becoming clearer and clearer, it is offering wider space for development.

Looking forward to the future, Guangdong is advancing to an all-round and sustained development.

Complying with President Hu Jintao’s general requirements, namely: to grasp opportunities, accelerate development, and head the country in the construction of a well-off and modernized socialist society, the people of Guangdong are actively implementing sustainable development strategy, sticking to the new industrialization road, promoting the coordinated development of its outbound and inbound economies, integrating the urban and rural economic and social development, promoting the coordinated development of various regions, and to eventually realize the all-round development of the economy, politics and culture.

Guangdong will more actively go to the outside world and further the development of our trade and economic cooperation and friendly relations with other countries and regions, to create a splendid future.