Bao'an adds 68 national 'little giant' firms, retaining top spot in SZ

Bao’an District has added 68 companies to China’s latest batch of nationally recognized “little giant” enterprises, the highest number among Shenzhen’s districts. The designation recognizes small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that specialize in niche markets and excel in innovation.

The new approvals bring Bao’an’s total to 418, keeping it in first place among China’s counties and county-level administrative districts. Last year, Bao’an became the country’s first district to have more than 100 companies recognized as “little giants” in a single batch.

The 68 newly recognized companies are specialized in fields including LED displays, lasers, precision testing equipment, new-energy components and semiconductor equipment and are spread across 10 subdistricts. They include Yaham Optoelectronics, which has spent more than two decades developing LED display products, and JaguarMicro, a six-year-old chipmaker that has put China’s first fully featured 400-Gbps DPU into mass production.

Their growth showcases Bao’an’s broad manufacturing base. The district is home to all 31 manufacturing industry categories and more than 57,000 manufacturing businesses. In 2025, its industrial output from above-designated-size firms reached 1.1 trillion yuan, and it ranked second on a national list of top industrial districts.

Bao’an has built a pipeline to help small companies grow from innovative startups into specialized SMEs and, ultimately, national “little giants.” As of September 2026, the district had 5,159 innovative SMEs, including 3,651 Shenzhen-recognized specialized SMEs, both the highest totals in the city. It also had 7,449 national high-tech enterprises.

Huizhi R&D Center.

Yanluo Intelligent Connected Vehicle Industrial Park.

Government support begins even before companies apply for recognition. Bao’an maintains a database of more than 3,000 specialized SMEs and offers one-on-one guidance to priority candidates. In 2026, officials conducted 492 on-site visits and advising sessions, provided 3,000 telephone consultations and held 17 information sessions.

Support continues after companies receive the designation. In 2025, Bao’an provided 268 million yuan in subsidies for technological upgrades at specialized, innovative enterprises. Other services also help firms access financing, industrial space and customers. Through a financial services platform, 574 specialized SMEs secured 30.87 billion yuan in financing in 2025.

Purpose-built industrial sites add another layer of support. Huizhi R&D Center, Guangdong’s first headquarters base for specialized and sophisticated SMEs, houses nearly 90 companies, including 19 national “little giants.” At Yanluo Intelligent Connected Vehicle Industrial Park, 18 companies moved in within eight months of opening. Seven are national “little giants,” and 13 supply major automakers including Tesla and BYD.

Since 2026, four Bao’an “little giants” have listed on the Shanghai STAR Market, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the Shenzhen ChiNext board. The district has also fostered 98 provincial-level manufacturing champions that lead their respective niche markets, the most in Shenzhen.