GUANGZHOU, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's manufacturing heartland, Guangdong Province, has set a GDP growth target of between 4.5 percent and 5 percent for 2026, Guangdong Governor Meng Fanli said Monday, pledging efforts to achieve better results in actual work.

The year 2026 marks the start of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). Meng said the growth target was set after taking into account development needs and a range of domestic and external factors, as he delivered a government work report at the annual session of the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress.

Over the past five years, the southern province's GDP rose to 14.58 trillion yuan (about 2.1 trillion U.S. dollars) from 11.37 trillion yuan. In 2025, the province ranked first nationwide in total GDP for the 37th consecutive year. ■