Hong Kong: Info system to keep residents abreast of GBA events  

Residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region can now check the latest information about the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area by using the Greater Bay Area Information Station — an electronic device accessible city-wide to help them get a better grasp of developments in the region’s 11-city cluster.

The first batch of seven of these devices went into service late last month. With a simple and easy-to-use interface, the information system keeps members of the public up-to-date with data on the latest developments in the Greater Bay Area. It also features short videos with practical information for SAR residents and enterprises about living conditions and developments in the nine GBA mainland cities.

Macao: City to join up with nation’s high-speed rail network

The Guangzhou-Zhuhai (Macao) high-speed rail link will run from Guangzhou North to the Hengqin checkpoint, from where it’ll link up with the Macao Light Rapid Transit.

The link will have a station in the center of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone on Hengqin Island, about two kilometers from the Hengqin boundary crossing.

Currently, Macao has one light rail — the Taipa Line. The line began operations in 2019, covering 11 stations and running through the main residential communities in Taipa city center, as well as tourist attractions on the island. 

Guangzhou: Palm Pay service can be used at convenience stores

Consumers in Guangdong province can now pay for their goods at 7-Eleven convenience stores by using their palms — a new payment method introduced nationwide late last month.

This marks the first social-level application of Palm Pay in the Guangdong provincial capital Guangzhou. Customers can apply to use the system by having their palms screened by a scanner placed at these shops, and using their cellphones to register. After payment, customers will be notified of the transactions on their phones.

So far, more than 1,500 7-Eleven outlets have started the WeChat Palm Pay service. Customers using the palm recognition method for payment at Guangdong’s 7-Eleven stores before Sept 30 will enjoy a discount of 3 yuan ($0.41) in their first transaction. 

Shenzhen: Cooperation zone launches first entrepreneurship day

Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone in Shenzhen launched its first entrepreneurship day on Sept 9.

It was also the final of the One Million Dollar International Entrepreneurship Competition (Shenzhen) organized by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. The competition attracted 195 startup projects from all over the world, with nine contestants making it to the final. The HKUST set up an incubator — Blue Bay — in Shenzhen in 2016, and has so far cultivated more than 150 projects with an estimated total value of six billion yuan.

Zhuhai: Macao drugs available in Hengqin cooperation zone

Residents of the Macao Special Administrative Region in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone on Hengqin Island, Zhuhai, have been allowed to use some drugs already listed in the Macao SAR, excluding biological products, to meet their medical needs.

Designated medical institutions in the cooperation zone should submit applications for designated drugs in Macao to the Guangdong Provincial Medical Products Administration, as well as a list of drugs approved by the SAR’s drug regulatory authorities.

Once approved, the drugs will be provided to Macao residents in designated medical institutions within the cooperation zone.

Foshan: Billion-yuan fund set up to support Hong Kong startups

A one-billion yuan angel fund has been established to support Hong Kong entrepreneurs planning to launch businesses in Foshan.

The fund was jointly set up by the Hong Kong Angel Investment Foundation, the Foshan Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau and a local venture capital management firm on Sept 9.

IOT Solution — a one-stop solutions provider of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics education incubated at Hong Kong’s Cyberport — was the first startup to secure funding under the program. As part of its growth plan, the company will open a subsidiary in Foshan.

Huizhou: Revenue of 17 A-share listed companies up 1.88 percent

Huizhou’s 17 A-share listed companies saw their operating revenues rise 1.88 percent year-on-year to about 135.9 billion yuan in the first half of the year.

The revenues of three leading enterprises with a total market value exceeding 70 billion yuan — battery maker Eve Energy, electronics firm TCL Technology and Desay SV Automotive — reached 116.9 billion yuan, accounting for about 86 percent of the total revenue of the 17 listed companies in the first six months of 2023.

So far, more than 80 percent of the 17 listed firms have set up overseas production, sales, and research and development branches to strengthen market expansion and customer services.

Dongguan: Taiwan Famous Products Fair offers biz opportunities

The 14th Dongguan Taiwan Famous Products Fair was launched in Dongguan on Sept 7. The four-day event attracted more than 700 companies, with over 70 percent of them engaged in the electronic information business. More than 5,000 buyers attended the fair, intending to purchase products worth 3.52 billion yuan. Electronics, cultural and creative products, services, food, tea and other Taiwan specialties from more than 20 counties and cities on the island were on display. 

Since its launch, the fair has drawn nearly three million visitors, with the value of potential cooperation projects exceeding 37.2 billion yuan.

Zhongshan: Bus service to SAR launched, with 13 stops on the route 

Zhongshan strengthened its cross-border transportation network by launching a new bus route to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Sept 10.

There are 13 stops along the route, including Hong Kong International Airport, the V City shopping mall in Tuen Mun, Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei, as well as Tsuen Wan and Kowloon Bay.

According to a Zhongshan online media report, the new bus route operates twice daily, departing from the city’s Zonglyu Rainbow residential complex. The price of a one-way ticket to Tsuen Wan is 100 yuan, and that to Hong Kong International Airport is 230 yuan.

Jiangmen: Kaiping county unveiles innovation exchange center 

Jiangmen’s Kaiping county and Shenzhen jointly unveiled an innovation exchange center on Sept 7, aimed at establishing a new platform to attract investment and enterprises.

 It will prioritize companies moving there from the Pearl River Delta region, especially those engaged in next-generation electronics and information technology, high-end equipment manufacturing, biopharmaceuticals and health industries, as well as light industries and modern textile manufacturing. The goal is to realize coordinated development among leading and distinctive industries, and the synergetic growth of strategic emerging and traditional advantageous sectors.

Zhaoqing: Taxpayers benefit from new online payment mode

Zhaoqing has introduced an innovative tax payment system, allowing taxpayers residing outside the Chinese mainland to meet their tax obligations with cross-border remittances. A Hong Kong-based investment management company was the first in the country to benefit from the program by remitting 7.2 million yuan in income tax to the Zhaoqing municipal government.

Taxpayers outside the mainland can file their taxes online and remit the tax amount in renminbi to a designated mainland account, without having to open a mainland bank account, or visiting the mainland to complete the procedure. The Zhaoqing municipal government said the new mode is to supplement two existing systems, under which taxpayers can pay their taxes through a UnionPay online payment platform, or the overseas branches of mainland banks.