Thought Leadership Brief Series: Specialisation of Manufacturing Industries in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area

HIGHLIGHTS

• Addresses the lack of recent studies enabling systematic, comparable analysis of industrial specialisation across Chinese regions.
• Identifies specialised industries for each of the nine Guangdong cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) and for 31 Chinese provinces. 
• Each city in the GBA exhibits a distinct pattern of specialised industries, shaped by its unique industrial legacy and policy orientation, and together they contribute to a dynamic regional division of labour.
• Compared to the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), the GBA stands out for its specialisation in consumer-oriented industries that are moderately tech- and capital-intensive, with a strong emphasis on product design and rapid response to shifting market demand. This reflects the region’s deep industrial roots as China's pioneering export-oriented economy since the onset of reform and opening-up. 
• GBA specifically leads in one high-tech industry—the ICT equipment—accounting for over one-third of national sales, far exceeding Jiangsu's 15% share (ranking second after Guangdong) and the YRD's combined 28% share.
• Lays a foundation for further research on the GBA's industrial dynamics, informing better regional and industrial policies.