In 2023, Dongguan adhered to Xi Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as its guiding principle. The entire city earnestly implemented the decisions and deployments of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the State Council, and the “1310” specific deployment of the Provincial Party Committee. Under the correct leadership of the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, Dongguan made every effort to stabilize the economic fundamentals. Industrial production gradually stabilized, the service sector maintained growth, the scale of investment continued to expand, and consumption steadily recovered. The city’s economic performance showed a sustained recovery trend, and high-quality development was solidly advanced.
According to the unified calculation of the regional GDP of Guangdong Province, the GDP of our city in 2023 was 1.143813 trillion yuan, an increase of 2.6% year-on-year. Among this, the added value of the primary industry was 3.625 billion yuan, an increase of 5.0% year-on-year; the added value of the secondary industry was 647.818 billion yuan, an increase of 1.4% year-on-year; and the added value of the tertiary industry was 492.371 billion yuan, an increase of 4.1% year-on-year.
I. Agricultural production showed sound growth momentum, with stable production of “vegetable baskets” and “fruit plates”
In 2023, the total output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery in the city was 5.571 billion yuan, an increase of 4.1% year-on-year in comparable prices. Among this, the output value of agriculture was 4.085 billion yuan, an increase of 4.3%; the output value of forestry was 21 million yuan, an increase of 104.2%; the output value of animal husbandry was 128 million yuan, an increase of 11.1%; the output value of fishery was 1.158 billion yuan, an increase of 3.9%; and the output value of professional and auxiliary activities in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery was 179 million yuan, an increase of 6.0%. In terms of production, “vegetable basket” and “fruit plate” products showed stable growth. The output of vegetables and edible fungi increased by 2.6%, among which leafy vegetables increased by 13.1%. The output of melons and fruits increased by 4.7%, with lychee production increasing by 37.9%.
II. Industrial production gradually stabilized, with leading industries shifting from negative to positive growth
In 2023, the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size in the city was 517.1 billion yuan, a decrease of 1.9% year-on-year, with the growth rate improving by 1.7 percentage points compared to the first three quarters. From a monthly perspective, the growth rate turned positive in August and maintained positive monthly growth for five consecutive months, showing a gradual recovery trend. By industry, among the “five key and four special” industries, the leading industries continued to recover. The added value of the electronic information manufacturing industry grew by 1.7%, with the growth rate improving by 3.2 percentage points compared to the first three quarters; the food and beverage processing and manufacturing industry grew by 10.0%; and the chemical manufacturing industry grew by 4.1%. Advanced manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing industries showed positive development, with their added values growing by 0.9% and 0.4%, respectively, both higher than the city’s average growth rate. In terms of product output, emerging industry products saw rapid growth, with the output of virtual reality devices, semiconductor storage disks, charging piles, integrated circuits, and smartwatches increasing by 96.0%, 81.4%, 66.2%, 58.8%, and 52.3%, respectively. For enterprises transitioning from small to large scale, the added value of industrial enterprises that made this transition in 2022 grew by 28.6%. Industrial electricity consumption gradually recovered, with total electricity consumption in society growing by 5.2%, of which industrial electricity consumption grew by 3.3%.
III. The service sector maintained growth, with the information service industry developing rapidly
In 2023, the added value of the service sector in the city grew by 4.1% year-on-year. From the revenue perspective, from January to November, the operating revenue of service enterprises above designated size in the city was 203.941 billion yuan, an increase of 10.2%. Among these, the software and information technology service industry grew by 55.4%, internet and related services grew by 21.7%, culture, sports, and entertainment industries grew by 16.2%, scientific research and technical services grew by 15.6%, resident services, repair, and other services grew by 12.2%, and loading, unloading, and warehousing grew by 10.6%. The postal, telecommunications, and express delivery industries showed strong development momentum, with the annual business volumes of postal, telecommunications, and express delivery services increasing by 21.2%, 13.6%, and 19.1%, respectively. The transportation market steadily recovered, with the total turnover of highway and waterway transportation increasing by 3.6% and 5.2%, respectively.
IV. The scale of fixed asset investment expanded, with the investment structure being gradually optimized
In 2023, the total fixed asset investment in the city increased by 2.7% year-on-year. By sector, industrial investment grew by 6.3%, infrastructure investment grew by 6.3%, and real estate development investment remained flat compared to the previous year. By industry, investment in advanced manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing showed better growth, exceeding the citywide average. Investment in advanced manufacturing grew by 5.8%, accounting for 26.0% of the city’s total fixed asset investment, an increase of 0.7 percentage points year-on-year. Among these, investment in the petroleum and chemical industry grew by 8.3%, and investment in the equipment manufacturing industry grew by 5.7%. Investment in high-tech manufacturing grew by 4.1%, accounting for 19.3% of the city’s total fixed asset investment, an increase of 0.3 percentage points year-on-year. Among these, investment in medical equipment and instrumentation manufacturing grew by 65.2%, and investment in pharmaceutical manufacturing grew by 59.7%.
V. The consumer market steadily recovered, with upgraded consumption showing active performance
In 2023, the total retail sales of consumer goods in the city reached 440.812 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.4%. By consumption type, dining income grew by 10.4%, and retail sales of goods grew by 2.8%. By product category, among units above the designated size, sales of upgraded goods showed rapid growth, with cosmetics, communication equipment, and gold, silver, and jewelry growing by 136.0%, 108.2%, and 67.2%, respectively. Sales of basic living goods also grew well, with clothing, shoes, hats, and textiles growing by 37.8%, tobacco and alcohol by 24.1%, and daily necessities by 7.5%. Online shopping continued to release its potential, with retail sales of goods through public networks by units above the designated size growing by 7.7%.
VI. Fiscal revenue grew steadily, with financial operations remaining stable
In 2023, the city’s general public budget revenue was 80.484 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.1%; general public budget expenditure was 90.241 billion yuan, an increase of 4.7%. The total tax revenue in the city was 223.812 billion yuan, an increase of 3.4%. By the end of December, the balance of deposits in financial institutions in both domestic and foreign currencies was 2.612561 trillion yuan, an increase of 11.1%, of which household deposits were 1.015362 trillion yuan, an increase of 11.9%. The balance of loans in financial institutions in both domestic and foreign currencies was 1.840174 trillion yuan, an increase of 9.7%.
VII. Consumer prices remained generally stable
In 2023, the city’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) decreased by 0.1% year-on-year. Among the eight categories of goods and services, the price indices showed a “four up, one flat, three down” trend: other goods and services increased by 1.7%, education, culture, and entertainment increased by 1.4%, household goods and services increased by 1.0%, healthcare increased by 1.1%, food, tobacco, and alcohol remained flat, housing decreased by 0.2%, clothing decreased by 0.7%, and transportation and communication decreased by 2.3%.
Overall, in 2023, Dongguan actively responded to challenges, maintaining a stable economic foundation and further solidifying the basis for high-quality development. However, it is important to recognize that the current economic development still faces numerous difficulties and challenges, and new economic drivers need to be continuously strengthened. In the next phase, Dongguan should adhere to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Second Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee. According to the deployments of the Central and Provincial Economic Work Conferences, it should comprehensively, accurately, and fully implement the new development concept, uphold the principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, promote stability through progress, establish first before breaking old patterns, and focus on the city’s characteristics of “technological innovation + advanced manufacturing.” It should coordinate high-quality development with high-level security, lead with the “High-quality Development Project for Guangdong Counties, Towns and Villages,” deeply carry out the “Year of Investment” initiative, cultivate new development drivers, and continuously promote qualitative and reasonable quantitative growth of the economy, striving to lead in the advancement of Chinese-style modernization.
