The National Zhuhai Economic & Technological Development Area (Gaolan Port Economic Zone, GPEZ) is located in the southwest of Zhuhai, covering 380 sq km.

Relying on Gaolan, a hub port in South China, GPEZ is a comprehensive harbor industry zone. It was upgraded to a National Economic & Technological Development Zone in March 2012.

GPEZ possesses the largest terminals of liquid chemicals and bulk cargos in the Pearl River Delta, and is suitable for constructing a 300,000-ton terminal. As one of the main chemical industry clusters of Guangdong,it is becoming a world-level shipbuilding and ocean engineering equipment manufacturing base, state-level clean energy and petrochemical base, and regional port logistics center.

Following opening operations of the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway and Gaolan Port Expressway at the end of 2012, the port has advanced its distribution and collection network. A harbor industry cluster involving fine chemicals, petrochemicals, electric power, energy, offshore equipment manufacturing, and leisure tourism has been formed, too.

Port logistics is a supporting industry of this zone. Fortune Global 500 enterprises such as BP, SANY, Shell, Lubrizol, Solvay, Hutchison Whampoa as well as central enterprises like CNOOC, PetroChina, SinoChem, COSCO, and Shenhua have settled here. GPEZ has become the "engine" and "leader" in the west bank of Pearl River.