Guangdong is aiming to expand the value of its services trade to US$310 billion (2.1 trillion yuan) by 2028, with a targeted average annual growth rate of 10 percent or more by then. That’s according to a three-year action plan published by the provincial government yesterday. 

Other major targets include boosting the knowledge-intensive services trade, aiming for it to account for 52 percent of Guangdong’s trade in services. Concurrently, the authorities hope to significantly strengthen the province’s competitiveness in services and the global impact of the “Guangdong Services” brand. 

In order to achieve these goals, the action plan mentions accelerating development across various areas such as cross-border travel, international logistics, overseas video game publication, software outsourcing, cross-border finance, international exhibitions and conferences, intellectual property rights and construction services, with a focus on building up their strengths and branding. 

A number of specific measures were proposed for the various service trade sectors. When it comes to enhancing Guangdong’s tourism competitiveness internationally, the plan suggested leveraging the province’s intangible cultural heritage – including Cantonese opera and wushu  – to create tour routes and products. 

Similarly, the government advised promoting multi-destination travel routes in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), as well as boosting the use of the 144-hour visa-free transit policy by travel agencies. 

[See more: Guangdong’s foreign trade grew 18.4 percent in the first four months of 2026]

Meanwhile, the plan makes a number of suggestions to strengthen logistic services, which include supporting Guangzhou’s and Shenzhen’s development as international shipping hubs and boosting their global shipping service capacity. 

At the same time, local shipping companies are encouraged to join or establish shipping alliances, while logistics firms are being urged to construct international distribution warehouses in Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Latin America. 

Similar measures were also proposed for Guangdong’s aviation sector, with the plan backing the development of Guangzhou as a comprehensive international air hub and the building up of Shenzhen as a region-specific international aviation hub. 

Aside from well-established service industries, the plan also mentions support for emerging service sectors. The government stated it would drive the integrated development of traditional culture and digital technology, backing the development of brands relating to original products such as video games, movies and films, literature and collectible toys. 

As well, the plan mentioned enhancing video games technologies, with support for R&D and the training of large-scale models for gaming and boosting of computational efficiency. 

Meanwhile, the action plan offers support for the establishment of a provincial network of video game overseas publishing service centres in Guangzhou and Shenzhen that can provide research on overseas markets, while also serving as a one-stop shop for services relating to business operations and distribution. 

According to the Guangdong government’s 2026 work report, service trade in the province amounted to US$250 billion yuan in 2025, an increase of 12.5 percent year-on-year.