State-owned Enterprises in Guangxi Step Up Domestic Major Projects and Global Market Expansion in 2026

State-owned enterprises stand as core vehicles for advancing large-scale infrastructure and industrial works across China. Since the start of 2026, state-owned entities supervised by Guangxi’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission have rolled out dual-pronged strategies to anchor local development and tap overseas commercial opportunities. Multiple landmark domestic schemes have reached operational milestones, while cross-border deployment plans deliver tangible commercial gains. The region’s state-owned sector relies on concrete progress in capital construction and maritime-focused growth to demonstrate robust capacity for shouldering core economic responsibilities.

Transport Infrastructure Projects Unblock Logistics Bottlenecks and Build Integrated Regional Networks

Harvest season falls in June for plump honey plums grown in Rong County. Fresh produce is packed onto lorries before joining the Cangwu-Rong County Motorway at Shili Interchange, cutting journey times to agricultural wholesale hubs in Longxu District, Wuzhou, and enabling smoother distribution to the Pearl River Delta consumer markets.

Developed by Guangxi Communications Investment Group, the dual carriageway operates at a design speed of 120 kilometres per hour and opened to traffic on 28 February. It links the Wuzhou-Liuzhou and Guangzhou-Kunming motorway corridors, opening new logistics channels for local speciality goods including honey plums, Xiayan chickens, cinnamon and star anise.

Transport infrastructure serves as a vital artery for regional economic circulation, shortening travel times between cities and rural areas while facilitating labour mobility and commodity trade. Guangxi’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission co-ordinates state-owned transport firms to accelerate construction, extend highway networks and consolidate foundations for high-quality regional economic growth.

Multiple highway schemes move closer to full operation. The Pingnan-Rongxian and Yongfu Sanhuang-Liuzhou motorways have passed completion acceptance and await opening in June. On the interprovincial Luoye-Wangmo Motorway connecting Guangxi and Guizhou, more than half of the arch rib installation works for the core Hongshui River Extra Large Bridge have been finished.

Rail construction schedules maintain rapid momentum. The Guangxi stretch of the Huangtong-Baise Railway, a landmark scheme forming the New Western Land-Sea Corridor, has completed breakthroughs on 18 out of its 33 tunnels, with over ninety per cent of substructure bridge works finished. Track fine-tuning has commenced on the Yulin North-Cenxi East section of the Nanning-Zhuhai High Speed Railway, marking the final phase ahead of passenger services. Interconnectivity infrastructure across Guangxi gathers momentum to drive cross-regional economic co-operation.

The Pinglu Canal, China’s first inland waterway linking river and sea routes, opened fully to water flow on 3 June and is scheduled for full navigation in September. Goods transported from southwest China via the canal will trim inland voyage distances by over 560 kilometres compared with shipping through Guangzhou Port, slashing logistics expenditure and reshaping maritime freight routes for inland western provinces.

To match canal navigation capacity, Beibu Gulf Port Group presses ahead with construction at the Dalangping South Terminal in Qinzhou Port. Berths 9 and 10 entered expansion and upgrading works in October 2025; installation of giant 3,500-tonne caissons is now complete, with facilities engineered to accommodate river-sea intermodal vessels transiting the Pinglu Canal.

Industrial Investment Drives Industrial Transformation and Digital Upgrading

Transport infrastructure lays the groundwork for economic expansion, while targeted industrial projects deliver core growth momentum.

On 20 May, fleets of heavy goods vehicles loaded with high-purity alumina rolled out from the Beihai Port Circular Economy Industrial Park developed by Guangxi Investment Group. The park adopts a port-front, factory-back industrial model. Bauxite shipped from overseas arrives at Tieshan Port in Beihai, then travels via fully enclosed conveyor belts direct to production zones. Intelligent technical upgrades enable low-carbon manufacturing and full solid waste recycling across alumina production lines.

The industrial park adopts integrated spatial planning to build a closed-loop industrial chain covering mineral extraction, ocean freight, port distribution and coastal processing. Once operating at full capacity, the complex is projected to generate annual industrial output worth approximately 5.6 billion yuan and contribute 600 million yuan in annual tax revenue.

Widespread adoption of artificial intelligence makes digital transformation an essential operational priority for industrial operators. State-owned enterprises across Guangxi have launched batches of digital technical renovation schemes to boost industrial competitiveness through smart technology.

On 31 March, Liuzhou Iron and Steel Group launched Xuan Tie, Guangxi’s first large language model customised for steel manufacturing. The platform integrates artificial intelligence with core steel production workflows, shortening raw material blending decision cycles to 16 minutes and delivering fully intelligent molten iron transportation, lifting overall operational efficiency by 8.5 per cent.

In Liuzhou, Guangxi Automotive Group’s autonomous logistics vehicle mass production line rolled out its first batch of finished products on 30 May. The vehicles are designed for four core application scenarios: intra-factory transport within industrial zones, last-mile courier delivery, supermarket stock replenishment and residential community logistics services.

Endowed with abundant mineral resources, Guangxi Critical Metals Group has focused on resource consolidation and accelerated expansion works at four major mining sites since its establishment. Between January and April, the group prioritised production optimisation and profit expansion, with its non-ferrous metal division recording total profits of 436 million yuan, a year-on-year rise of 26.95 per cent.

Drawing on the Pinglu Canal and coastal border advantages, Beibu Gulf Port Group inaugurated the Guangxi (Chongqing) Industrial Co-operation Centre on 22 May. The centre links industrial resources from the Chengdu-Chongqing economic zone with Guangxi’s coastal shipping strengths to attract industrial investment, facilitate high-value project settlement and resource sharing, and advance coordinated industrial development across connected regions.

Livelihood Infrastructure Projects Address Public Service Shortfalls and Improve Living Standards

Large-scale investment projects support economic expansion while stabilising growth, restructuring industries and upgrading public services.

In the early hours of 2 May, a pipe-jacking machine broke through the final rock layer at the Qinzhou water supply segment of the Guangxi Ring Beibu Gulf Water Resources Allocation Project. The 112-metre rock tunnel breakthrough was completed three days ahead of schedule, delivering fresh progress on infrastructure securing water supplies for 700,000 residents in Qinzhou.

Upon full completion, the project will resolve chronic seasonal water shortages across the Ring Beibu Gulf region, bringing reliable water access to nearly 14 million people. State-owned water enterprises in Guangxi deliver major regional water distribution works to resolve urban-rural public service gaps and reinforce basic living guarantees for local residents.

If the cross-regional water allocation project forms the main artery of regional water supply networks, urban and rural water treatment and sewage facilities operate as capillary networks safeguarding safe drinking water.

Guangxi Environmental Protection Group pushes forward construction and upgrading of urban and rural sewage and water treatment plants. Its portfolio of 238 operational facilities across 19 counties and districts spanning ten cities process around 120,000 cubic metres of sewage and 65,000 cubic metres of clean water daily. The Zhi Shui Yun digital management platform enables closed-loop oversight covering data collection, intelligent early warning and data-backed operational decision-making.

State-owned enterprises extend livelihood-focused investment across multiple sectors. In Nanning, the China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Scenario Commercial Centre developed by Guangxi Tourism Development Group opened in January, catering for 800,000 consumers with one-stop access to AI hardware and immersive smart retail experiences. In Beihai, construction of the China-ASEAN (Beihai) International Aquatic Products City backed by Guangxi Materials Logistics Service Group fully commenced in March, broadening the supply of aquatic goods for households across Guangxi, southwest and central southern China.

From mitigating water scarcity and safeguarding drinking water quality to rolling out commercial and cold-chain aquatic projects, Guangxi’s state-owned enterprises align commercial returns with social and ecological benefits as a core operational principle.

Overseas Market Expansion Opens New Growth Channels

Venturing into international markets represents a core mission for state-owned enterprises participating in high-quality Belt and Road Initiative co-operation, alongside unlocking fresh revenue streams and secondary growth trajectories.

LiuGong Machinery, a leading domestic manufacturer of high-end construction equipment, has prioritised internationalisation as a long-term corporate strategy. Three key operational adjustments have been rolled out throughout 2026: accelerated global promotion of electrified and intelligent machinery, deepened localised overseas operations and refined worldwide production footprints, as the firm targets lifting overseas revenue to sixty per cent of total turnover.

Despite complex global market conditions, LiuGong has sustained year-on-year growth in cross-border revenue, with tangible returns emerging from its international strategy. The firm plans to launch more than ten new overseas subsidiaries in core global infrastructure markets over coming periods, extending localised sales and service networks deeper into target regions.

While high-end machinery brands expand global market share backed by proprietary technology, traditional manufacturing sectors pursue high-value and intelligent upgrading to sharpen international competitiveness.

Faced with softer domestic steel demand and compressed profit margins, Liuzhou Iron and Steel Group develops a 4+X portfolio of high-grade steel products catering for automotive, household appliance, shipbuilding, offshore engineering and new energy industries. Multiple international product certification accreditations have been secured since the start of the year. During the first quarter, while national steel export volumes edged lower, the group’s overseas steel shipments rose by 26.14 per cent year-on-year, with high-value special steel accounting for 51 per cent of total export tonnage.

State-owned firms in Guangxi also export digital technologies centred on artificial intelligence to ASEAN markets. In April, Guangxi Beitou Information Innovation Group signed a co-operation agreement with Malaysia’s Zetrix AI Group to build a cross-border digital identity platform branded One Code Travel Guangxi. Cross-border digital identity recognition technology will deliver streamlined services for Malaysian citizens travelling and conducting business in China.

LiuGong’s AI-powered intelligent fault diagnosis platform has been deployed across Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and other ASEAN territories. The system accepts fault reports submitted in local languages and delivers tailored technical solutions remotely, replicating on-site support from Chinese engineering specialists.

Official data released by Guangxi’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission records overseas product sales revenue of 9.33 billion yuan generated by the regional state-owned enterprise system between January and April, representing a 21.06 per cent year-on-year increase. Export performance underpins Guangxi’s wider opening-up agenda and sustained steady economic momentum.

Regional state-owned asset regulators note that local state-owned enterprises have navigated volatile external conditions through dual focus on domestic capital construction and international market outreach. Upcoming work streams will maintain emphasis on scaling up investment through major projects and advancing maritime economic development, with state-owned firms continuing to fulfil core stabilising roles within the regional industrial system.