Hong Kong: SAR keeps 3rd spot in global financial center rankings

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has retained the third position globally in the latest report of the Global Financial Centres Index, remaining the top financial hub in the Asia-Pacific region. According to the report published by the United Kingdom’s Z/Yen and the Shenzhen-based China Development Institute on March 20, Hong Kong’s overall score rose by 11 points to 760 — trailing New York City by nine points and London by two.

Macao: Cross-border ambulance service with Zhuhai starts

The Macao Special Administrative Region and Zhuhai launched point-to-point cross-border ambulance services involving five hospitals on both sides on March 17. The participating hospitals are Macao’s Conde de Sao Januario General Hospital, and four hospitals in Zhuhai: Zhuhai People’s Hospital, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine (Zhuhai), and Zhuhai Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine.

Guangzhou: Bay area snow season set to boost leisure market

The second edition of the Bay Area Ice and Snow Sports Tourism and Culture Season kicked off in the Guangdong provincial capital, Guangzhou, on March 22.

The season, which runs until the end of April, focuses on ice and snow competitions, sports experiences, as well as tourism and leisure activities. The events are expected to lift the ice-and-snow sports and tourism market in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and stimulate consumption.

Shenzhen: Commuter traffic at Shenzhen Bay Port reaches 10 million

Shenzhen Bay Port — the only land crossing in the west of the city — has recorded more than 10 million passenger trips so far this year. More than 6.3 million trips were made by residents from the Hong Kong and Macao SARs and Taiwan, and 200,000 by foreign nationals.

Up to 2.25 million frequent travelers from the two SARs have benefited from a “document-free” policy, enabling them to enter and exit the port using facial recognition and fingerprint scanning without having to present their physical travel documents.

Zhuhai: AI, robotics companies to get 500m yuan vouchers

To promote the development of the artificial-intelligence and robotics sectors, Zhuhai’s industry and information technology authorities plan to offer vouchers worth 500 million yuan ($68.9 million) to companies relying on intelligent computing resources.

Enterprises can use the vouchers to buy computing power through an online service platform and receive subsidies of up to 50 percent of the actual costs.

Zhuhai also aims to provide vouchers valued at 300 million yuan to reduce companies’ expenses on large AI models.

Foshan: Academy to cultivate intelligent manufacturing professionals

The Shunde Kuka Academy has been launched at a smart manufacturing technology park established by leading Chinese mainland appliance brand Midea Group and its German robotics and automation partner, Kuka, in Foshan’s Shunde district.

The academy aims to foster a new generation of professionals in intelligent manufacturing, and leverage the technology park’s resources, including a smart training platform that covers the entire lifecycle of industrial robots. Students can participate in real manufacturing projects and obtain industry-recognized vocational certificates.

Huizhou: Conference secures 14 deals for cultural tourism projects

Accords on 14 cultural tourism projects were signed at a recent rural hotel development conference in Huizhou, covering country coffee shops, themed guesthouses, and creative industries based on intangible cultural heritage.

The conference focused on developing Huizhou’s Nankun Mountain-Luofu Mountain pioneer zone, which has 615 rural hotels and guesthouses, accounting for nearly half of the city’s total.

Dongguan: City plans 798 construction projects worth 785b yuan

Dongguan has lined up 798 major construction projects for this year, involving total investments of 785.4 billion yuan ($108.2 billion) and a planned annual investment of 119.4 billion yuan.

The batch includes 572 industrial projects focusing on next-generation electronic information, high-end equipment manufacturing, semiconductors, and new energy.

The city will also advance 131 infrastructure projects in 2025, including the construction of subway lines and highways, and 92 others concerning livelihood improvement, such as schools, hospitals and research institutions.

Zhongshan: Good start for intercity bus service with Shenzhen

A bus service linking Zhongshan and Shenzhen has recorded more than 2 million passenger trips since its launch on June 30, when the cross-sea highway, Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, opened to traffic.

More than 66,000 departures have been made on the bus link with an average daily ridership of 7,400 passenger trips. Two routes are operating, linking Shenzhen’s Qianhai E-hub with Zhongshan Expo Center and Zhongshan International Talent Hub. Each trip takes roughly 65 minutes.

Jiangmen: Jiangmen chamber of commerce inaugurated in Hong Kong

Jiangmen’s general chamber of commerce in Hong Kong held its inaugural ceremony recently at which the chamber signed a cooperation agreement with the city’s investment promotion bureau.

Dennis Wong Tat-tung — an entrepreneur and a member of community organizations — was appointed president of the chamber.

He said the group will set up a regular communication framework between the authorities and businesses to connect member enterprises with Jiangmen’s industrial resources, and promote collaboration in advanced manufacturing, modern services, and green technology.

Zhaoqing: Regional expressway extension reaches milestone

Construction work on the main pier of Jinma Bridge has been completed, marking a milestone in the extension work for the Guangzhou-Zhaoqing Expressway. Stretching 1,936 meters across the Xijiang River, Jinma Bridge — a vital link between Foshan’s Sanshui district and Zhaoqing’s Gaoyao district — will be a key part of the highway’s extended lanes.

The ongoing extension work, due to be completed by 2027, will double the highway’s traffic capacity by adding four lanes, significantly enhancing connectivity among Guangzhou, Foshan and Zhaoqing.