Hong Kong: Trial run begins for GZ-HK ferry service

A new sea route linking Pazhou Ferry Terminal in Guangdong’s provincial capital of Guangzhou with Hong Kong International Airport began a test run on April 28, further strengthening cross-boundary travel in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Prior luggage check-in services will be available for 10 airlines, including Cathay Pacific, at the Pazhou terminal. Passengers using the ferry service must have same-day air tickets. One ferry service a day will be provided each way for the 2.5-hour ferry trip.

Earlier in April, another sea route from Pazhou Ferry Terminal to China Ferry Terminal in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui District started a trial run.

Macao: Tourists flock to Macao as gaming revenue rises

Macao has seen a strong tourist revival with record post-COVID-19 tourist numbers and high gaming revenues.

On Monday, Macao welcomed 130,000 tourists, surpassing the previous 110,000 post-pandemic single-day high that was set just two days before that. 

Macao’s casinos earned 14.7 billion patacas ($1.82 billion) in April, the highest single-month gross gaming revenue since January 2020, when the pandemic broke out. The gaming revenue hit 49.36 billion patacas in the first four months of the year, surpassing the total revenue earned in 2022.

Guangzhou: XPeng Motors G9 to test autonomous cars

Guangzhou will conduct tests of the autonomous passenger vehicle XPeng Motors G9, manufactured in the electric-car maker’s factory in the city.

The carmaker in April announced it had obtained a test license for the test run and will open the test rides to the public through a WeChat mini-program in the second half of 2023.

Official data showed that by June 30, 2022, Guangzhou had opened 202 routes for such testing, covering a two-way length of 789 kilometers. Guangzhou has issued test licenses for 201 cars, covering 19 car models. In the first half of 2022, it has allowed on-road test runs for 59 cars. No accidents have been reported in the on-road self-driving vehicle tests.

Shenzhen: City of design juxtaposes fashion and technology 

The opening ceremony of the 2023 Shenzhen Design Week was held at the Bay Opera of Shenzhen in Bao’an district on April 27, with the theme of “Global Design, Shenzhen Momentum”, to promote Shenzhen’s profile as the “capital of design” and the idea of merging design and technology. 

Hosted by the Shenzhen municipal government and the International Council of Design, the event will last until May 6 and feature summits, conferences and exhibitions showcasing the latest designs at the frontier district. Designers from more than 30 countries and regions will attend.

Ceremonies for the Shenzhen Global Design Award and the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao Design Competition for Young Talents were also staged at the Bay Opera — a playground for budding design talent.

Zhuhai: Business issues offshore renminbi bonds in Macao

Zhuhai-based Huafa Investment Holdings Group has become the first business in the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone to issue offshore renminbi bonds in the Macao Special Administrative Region.

According to a statement from the cooperation zone, the company issued 500 million yuan of offshore bonds in Macao on April 28, which are simultaneously listed in Luxembourg. They are reputedly the first “nonfinancial corporate bonds” denominated in the Chinese currency to be listed on the bond market of Macao.

Jiangmen: Measures incentivize ventures with subsidies

The Measures to Promote the Development of High-Tech Enterprises in Jiangmen, Guangdong province, came into effect on May 1, granting a maximum subsidy of 30 million yuan ($4.34 million) to eligible enterprises. 

Among the nine supportive measures are support for model enterprises or individuals of pioneering high-tech enterprise innovation, subsidies for the construction of technology innovation centers, subsidies for the construction of science and technology innovation platforms, subsidies for major science and technology projects at all levels, subsidies for overhaul relocation, and favorable policies for personal income tax in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. 

Zhongshan: Port sees resurgence in passenger flow

Zhongshan Port experienced its peak passenger flow on April 29, the first day of the May Day holiday. More than 3,700 passengers entered and exited that day, almost twice the normal passenger flow on weekdays, and the highest level since the resumption of normal cross-border travel.

To better facilitate cross-border travel, Zhongshan Port added two ferries from Zhongshan to China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui on April 29, with 11 ferries operating in each direction.

Foshan: Economy makes flying start to the year 

According to the data released by Foshan Municipal Bureau of Statistics on April 27, the city’s economy saw significant improvement in the first quarter. 

Foshan completed industrial added value of almost 139.5 billion yuan ($20.18 billion), an increase of 6.3 percent. 

The added value of the service industry grew by 2.4 percent, with water conservancy, environment protection and public facilities management, finance, accommodation and the catering industries seeing the most dramatic rises. 

The imports and exports totaled 192.5 billion yuan in the first quarter, 6.2 percent higher than the same period of last year. The actual utilization of foreign capital reached 2.3 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.4 percent.

Huizhou: First-home down payment ratio lowered

The Housing and Construction Bureau of Huiyang district in Huizhou, Guangdong province, announced on April 28 that the minimum down payment for first-time homebuyers for commercial loans has been lowered from 30 percent to 20 percent. 

Residents who purchase commodity housing in Huiyang district are eligible for discounts of up to 20 percent off the market price. They also are allowed to use housing provident funds to pay for their down payments. 

The bureau said it will increase support for providing affordable housing for professionals. 

Dongguan: Dongguan to hold expo on intelligent gadget in May

The Guangdong International Robot and Intelligent Equipment Expo will be held in Dongguan from May 23-25 at the Guangdong Modern International Exhibition Center, with an overall exhibition area of 40,000 square meters and nearly 500 exhibitors.

The annual expo has invited leading enterprises in robotics and intelligent equipment from Switzerland, Germany, Denmark and South Korea. Twenty foreign exhibitors are expected to attend. Dongguan, a strong player in this regard, has 70 enterprises participating in the fair.

Zhaoqing: Cross-boundary public service with Shenzhen

Through a collaboration program, entrepreneurs and residents in Zhaoqing’s Gaoyao district are now able to complete 311 popular government services online that previously could only be done in person in Longhua district. 

These services include filing for enterprise investment projects, determining qualification for living allowances for the disabled, and distributing allowances for the elderly. The program has allowed residents and enterprises of both districts to take care of these matters without needing to commute between the two places.