In Thailand, inside the smart factory of Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd., new energy vehicles with the label "Made in Thailand" roll off the assembly line; designers at the Guangzhou Liuhua Garment Wholesale Market carefully monitor the Southeast Asian monsoon climate to adjust fabric solutions for another batch of customized women's apparel.
From "going south" to Southeast Asia with Canton goods, to integrating manufacturing capabilities, supply chain ecosystems, and even lifestyles into ASEAN, the millennia-old story of win-win cooperation between Guangzhou and ASEAN continues to evolve.
ASEAN is Guangzhou's largest trading partner and the primary market for overseas investment by Guangzhou enterprises. In 2025, trade between Guangzhou and ASEAN countries exceeded 200 billion yuan, accounting for nearly 20% of the city's total foreign trade. Guangzhou enterprises invested over $1 billion in ASEAN countries. ASEAN countries have cumulatively established over 2,700 enterprises in Guangzhou, with actual utilized foreign capital exceeding $5 billion.
In Thailand, a "chain reaction" manufactured in Guangzhou is underway. Guangdong Vanward New Electric Co., Ltd., which focuses on heating and water heater products as well as kitchen appliances, started production at its Thailand base in 2024. Now, 80% of the finished products are made locally in Thailand, achieving nearly full localization. "Our Thailand base has created nearly 1,000 local jobs, all of which are filled by local employees. Only key positions are staffed by Chinese personnel for technical training," said Chen Shuhong, Vanward's overseas market support manager, describing the localization practice of an international enterprise.
If manufacturing going overseas represents "hard connectivity," then deep engagement in consumer goods represents "soft exchange." Eagle Money has introduced new products like crispy peeled fish and low-sugar biscuits alongside its canned dace. Guangshi Pineapple Beer has crossed over to create a series of health beverages. Diamond brand has launched smart voice-controlled circulation fans. These "old Canton goods" under Guangzhou Light Industry Group have been popular in ASEAN for decades and continue to refresh. A representative from Guangzhou Light Industry Group stated that now they must not only provide good products but also integrate their brand lifestyle into the local community.
Guangzhou Liuhua Garment Wholesale Market and several other international professional markets have also replicated and shared their supply chain systems and brand operation experience with Singapore. "We eagerly look forward to going to more places in the future, making Guangzhou apparel a shining name card for 'Canton goods going global,'" said Wu Hanfeng, director of the general office of Guangzhou Liuhua Garment Wholesale Market.
In the biomedical field, cooperation between Guangzhou and ASEAN is increasingly close in both directions. Recently, at the "Canton Goods Going Global · Guangzhou Premium Products Entering ASEAN" event in Singapore, Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings signed an agreement with Singapore's Lien Biomedical to jointly develop cell therapy-related technologies. Guangzhou Baiyunshan Hanfang partnered with Islife International Pte Ltd to promote the registration, production, and sales of high-end health products from traditional Chinese medicine in Singapore, as well as to introduce health foods to China.
Institutional safeguards for regular mechanisms are also being rapidly established. Recently, the Guangzhou Foreign Economic and Trade Enterprises Association signed a memorandum of economic and trade cooperation with the Singapore Guangdong Chamber of Commerce, providing institutional guarantees for regular exchanges among small and medium-sized enterprises and promoting long-term collaboration between Guangzhou and Singapore in trade, investment, policy information, and legal services.
Kang Yiming, counselor of the Economic and Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, said that Guangzhou's economy is of high quality, resilient, and dynamic. Currently, it is leveraging its advantages as a core engine of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and its cooperation with ASEAN countries like Singapore is full of unlimited possibilities. (Reported by Ding Le)
