Renowned automaker BYD, headquartered in South China's Guangdong province, recently announced the achievement of becoming sales champion in three categories based on 2024 sales data — leading China's automotive market in both corporate and brand sales, and topping the global new energy vehicle market.
This remarkable success highlights BYD's continuous innovation and growth, exemplified by the production of its first new energy vehicle to its 10 millionth within a span of 16 years.
Guangdong has become a hotbed for groundbreaking technological advancements and industrial achievements. Companies including Huawei, which launched its terminal operating system Harmony OS in just 10 years, and EHang, which won the world's first certificate as a pilotless passenger-carrying electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft manufacturer, showcase the province's prowess in innovation and cutting-edge technology.
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The province's commitment to research and development is evident in its substantial R&D expenditure, which reached approximately 510 billion yuan ($70.3 billion) in 2024, according to this year's Guangdong provincial government work report.
Last year, Guangdong was home to about 77,000 high-tech enterprises and maintained its position as the top region for innovation capability in China for eight consecutive years. The Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou sci-tech cluster's innovation index has consistently ranked second globally for five years, underscoring the region's commitment to fostering a culture of innovation.
In recent years, Guangdong has witnessed significant growth in key industries. The output of new energy vehicles, for example, grew by 43 percent last year, accounting for a quarter of the national total, and industrial robot output increased by 31.2 percent, making up 44 percent of the national total.
Guangdong is striding toward becoming a globally influential industrial technology innovation center. Han Enhou, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of the Guangdong Institute of Corrosion Science and Technology, said that achieving sci-tech outcome transformation and industrialization in Guangdong "is becoming a natural choice".
According to the Guangdong Department of Science and Technology, the amount of registered technology contracts has witnessed a significant rise over the past years, surging from over 340 billion yuan in 2020 to over 440 billion yuan in 2023.
In the first 10 months of 2024, the authorized invention patents of Guangdong's strategic industry clusters reached 93,200, continuing to lead the nation with a 24.75 percent year-on-year increase.
These clusters include intelligent connected and new energy vehicles, ultra-high-definition and new displays, intelligent equipment and robotics, low-altitude economy and aerospace, biomanufacturing, fashion consumer goods, and ship and marine engineering.
Guo Wanda, the executive deputy president of the China Development Institute (Shenzhen), emphasized the pivotal role of Guangdong's robust manufacturing foundation and dynamic ecosystem in driving the integration of technology and industrial innovation.
He highlighted the province's strengths in manufacturing, encompassing a strong capability, diverse categories, talent concentration, and comprehensive support systems, all of which serve as significant advantages fueling innovation.
In October last year, Guangdong took a significant step by implementing a regulation aimed at promoting scientific and technological innovation, underlining the importance of safeguarding innovation through legislation and supporting the industrialization of science and technology.
In response to the surge of emerging industries, the province is actively advancing comprehensive technological innovation, large-scale application, and industrial development.
In the AI sector, Guangdong has achieved notable breakthroughs in critical areas such as chips, underlying frameworks, unmanned systems, and humanoid robots. It is facilitating the widespread adoption of general and vertical models across various sectors including industry, transportation, education, and healthcare.
In the new energy vehicle industry, the province is concentrating on key components, critical materials, automotive chips, and other essential aspects, mastering core technologies in batteries, motors, electronic control, autonomous driving, and vehicle-grid collaboration.
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Wang Yueqin, director of the Guangdong Department of Science and Technology, said that the province is accelerating the construction of a comprehensive innovation chain, striving to become a globally influential industrial technology innovation hub.
She noted that Guangdong will continue promoting breakthroughs in key core technologies, with a specific focus on areas such as the low-altitude economy, AI, new materials, high-end equipment, and biomedicine.
Furthermore, the province will enhance basic and frontier technological research, allocate one-third of the sci-tech funds toward basic and applied research, and achieve breakthroughs in frontier technologies including quantum technology, brain-computer interfaces, high-end scientific instruments, embodied intelligence, and 6G communication technology.
