China’s ongoing push for greater integration across the Greater Bay Area (GBA) is yielding significant economic projections, with the region’s combined output expected to exceed 15 trillion yuan (US$2.15 trillion) for 2025.
The figure was announced during the annual session of the Guangdong Provincial People’s Congress and reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The GBA is a massive economic powerhouse that incorporates the special administrative regions (SAR) of Hong Kong and Macao, along with nine major mainland cities in Guangdong, including economic hubs such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Zhuhai. The government’s ongoing strategy focuses on knitting the region closer together with quicker transport networks and simplified cross-border arrangements.
Improvements to physical infrastructure have been notably swift in recent years, XInhua says. The intercity railway system now extends beyond 4,000 kilometres in rail length. Furthermore, the number of cross-jurisdiction water passenger routes has grown to seventeen.
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Institutional links are also being established to smooth regional operations. A total of 198 governmental services are now accessible across mainland and SAR boundaries within the GBA. Authorities have also implemented 267 GBA standards and issued 308 certifications for the area.
Meanwhile, 84 innovation and entrepreneurship centres have been created to support young people from Hong Kong and Macao, attracting more than 7,000 projects to the region.
The momentum underscores the significant economic clout of Guangdong. The provincial government’s work report, released at the annual session, highlighted that the southern province had secured the highest total gross domestic product (GDP) nationwide for the 37th consecutive year in 2025.
