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The 2026 Guangdong Action Plan for a First-Class International Business Environment aims to boost openness via enhanced urban services, trade facilitation, transport hubs, foreign investment access, and Guangdong-HK-Macao cooperation. These measures seek to build an efficient and inclusive ecosystem to support the province’s high-quality development.

Guangdong issued an inclusive finance plan with 17 tasks across six areas, offering comprehensive services. It debuts measures supporting agriculture, cross-border data verification, insurance for gig workers, and senior care investment.

The Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area is accelerating its path toward becoming a global "preferred destination" for pharmaceutical innovation. Supported by policies such as the "Hong Kong‑Macao Drug and Medical Device Access Pathway" and an enhanced "basic + commercial" insurance system, it attracts leading global pharmaceutical companies, fostering an open, internationally‑connected, and synergistic innovation ecosystem.

In 2025, Nanshan District is projected to exceed RMB1 trillion in GDP with growth over 6%, outpacing national, provincial, and municipal averages—making it China’s first trillion‑yuan district. Its industrial output, investment, consumption, and exports all rank first in the city within the Greater Bay Area, reinforcing its leading economic role.

On January 27, the Hong Kong Digital Policy Office, alongside Guangdong and Macao authorities, announced the establishment of a cross‑border government service self‑service zone in the Treasury Building. The zone provides Greater Bay Area residents with one‑stop access to Guangdong and Macao e‑government services via the "iAM Smart" platform and self‑service terminals.

Guangdong's processing trade imports and exports reached RMB1.95 trillion in 2025, marking their first positive growth in nearly four years with a 1.1% year-on-year increase. Private enterprises in the Greater Bay Area were particularly active, recording a 7.6% rise in trade volume.

Guangdong has introduced AI-driven measures to advance high-quality transportation development in the Greater Bay Area. The initiatives focus on enhancing data supply, computing networks, smart highways and ports, low-altitude applications, connected vehicles, and intelligent transport systems to deepen AI integration and improve efficiency and safety.

The Standard Chartered Greater Bay Area Business Confidence Index (GBAI) for Q4 2025 indicates a mild moderation in both current (50.3) and expected (51) indices, though they remain in expansion territory. Recovery continues in Hong Kong’s retail and professional services, while Greater Bay Area firms show growing interest in the Middle East market and demand for Hong Kong's professional support.

The 19th Asian Financial Forum concluded in Hong Kong on January 27, attracting over 4,000 global leaders and hosting 800+ project meetings. It also featured the inaugural Global Industry Summit, highlighting key sectors such as AI and biomedicine within the Greater Bay Area context.

On January 26, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority announced an increase in the RMB business funding arrangement quota from RMB 100 billion to RMB 200 billion, effective February 2. The measure aims to provide stable, low-cost RMB funds for banks, facilitating corporate financing and promoting wider use of RMB in the real economy across the Greater Bay Area.

Guangdong has maintained its status as China's largest economy for 37 years, serving as the core engine of the Greater Bay Area. The achievements of its 14th Five-Year Plan and the growth targets for the 15th Five-Year Plan provide essential momentum and a solid foundation for building a dynamic and internationally competitive first-class bay area.

The Greater Bay Area achieved remarkable success during the 14th Five-Year Plan, with its economy expected to exceed 15 trillion yuan in 2025. In finance, "soft connectivity" stands out: 198 government services are cross-border accessible, and the Wealth Management Connect has attracted 175,000 investors with 129.2 billion yuan in fund flows, significantly boosting financial market integration across the region.

At the Guangdong Provincial People's Political Consultative Conference, members focused on advising the Greater Bay Area's "soft connectivity," discussing ways to deepen pragmatic cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao through strengthened rule alignment and mechanism integration in legal, healthcare, and cultural sectors, providing robust momentum and solid support for high-quality regional development.

Over five years of mutual reinforcement between industry and technology, Guangdong has not only led regional innovation for nine consecutive years but also strived to build a globally influential industrial sci-tech innovation center. As a core engine, it strengthens corporate innovation, builds international platforms, and tackles key technologies, driving the Greater Bay Area to accelerate the development of new productive forces and world-class innovation hubs.

To accelerate market integration in the Greater Bay Area, Guangdong advances "soft connectivity" in legal rules, implementing 30 initiatives including "Hong Kong Capital, Hong Kong Law, Hong Kong Arbitration." This bridges global standards, reduces internal regulatory gaps, and has earned Guangdong the title of best business environment in China for four consecutive years, gaining market trust.