Despite a complex global trade environment, Guangdong saw robust foreign trade growth in the first seven months, reflecting the resilience of the region"s complete industrial and supply chains and strong manufacturing base, Hu Qimu, a professor at the Maritime Silk Road Institute of Huaqiao University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

　　Moreover, the rapid export growth of high-tech and emerging products showed that the province"s trade structure has been shifting from labor-intensive to more technology-intensive and higher-value-added products, with industrial upgrading translating into new export competitiveness, Hu said.

　　On the import side, robust production and consumption continued to drive demand, with imports maintaining relatively rapid growth for five consecutive months. In July alone, Guangdong"s imports reached 423.46 billion yuan, up 40.7 percent year-on-year, marking the fifth straight month of growth above 30 percent

　　Driven by strong demand from the AI supply chain, Guangdong imported 1.07 trillion yuan worth of integrated circuits in the first seven months, up 48.6 percent year-on-year and accounting for 39.6 percent of the province"s total imports.

　　It wasn"t just the export sector that performed strongly. The customs data shows that there was much faster growth in imports than exports, which Hu said reflected active manufacturing and industrial chain demand in Guangdong.

　　"With the rapid development of the global artificial intelligence industry and continued overseas restocking, Guangdong"s competitive industries, including electronics and semiconductors, are expected to benefit further," the expert said.