'Factory of the world' reinvents itself after slump

GUANGZHOU — Owing to factors like the COVID-19 pandemic and soaring inflation in some Western countries, Dongguan, a manufacturing powerhouse in South China's Guangdong province, has faced a decline in foreign trade in recent years.

In the first half, the GDP of the city, often dubbed "factory of the world", recorded a modest year-on-year growth of 1.5 percent, significantly lower than the national average of 5.5 percent.

To address the challenges, Dongguan is actively pursuing a slew of new measures involving the optimization of economic structures, transformation of production methods, exploration of new markets and a commitment to innovation.