Companies in Dongguan, a major manufacturing base in the Pearl River Delta, will receive a series of preferential policies and financial support in the years to come, through a local government plan aimed at upgrading local industries.

The plan, announced on Friday, will select 200 pilot firms. The latter will be encouraged to boost their market competitiveness by increasing investment in technologies, developing new businesses, restructuring existing units and introducing more service-oriented manufacturing.

The companies will be selected from a pool of private sector manufacturers in fields like high-tech that are foreign funded and listed, according to the local government.