GBA briefs

Guangzhou: Public institutions to hire HK, Macao TCM practitioners

Seven public medical institutions from Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai have started the process of recruiting 12 practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine from Hong Kong and Macao, according to national and Guangdong provincial TCM authorities who spoke at a high-level conference held online in Guangzhou on Monday.

Eligible candidates must be permanent residents of the two special administrative regions and have obtained recognized qualifications to practice on the mainland under the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement.

Foshan: Services platform for SARs’ entrepreneurs kicks off

Foshan launched a comprehensive services platform for entrepreneurial incubation on Aug 27 in a bid to support young entrepreneurs from Hong Kong and Macao.

By showcasing more than 1.5 million entrepreneurial cases from around the globe, the services platform leverages multiple technologies such as big data and virtual reality to provide one-stop services for entrepreneurs, including inquiring, counseling, and collaboration.

The second phase of the Hong Kong and Macao youth entrepreneurship incubation park in Foshan began operation on Aug 27. Encompassing 4,000 square meters, the incubation park is expected to accommodate more than 30 startups. So far, it has attracted nine startup projects from Hong Kong and Macao, including those in biomedicine and healthcare, energy-saving and environmental protection, and artificial intelligence.

Shenzhen: Survey shows demand for cross-border financial services

The Financial Society of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone published on Aug 28 a survey that reveals strong demand for more in-depth cross-border financial services.

The survey on market demand for Shenzhen and Hong Kong financial products shows the top three of the most popular investment tools for residents in Guangdong province are Hong Kong’s funding, security and stock products. More than three-quarters of surveyed companies believe that the renminbi should be promoted as the main currency among the Shenzhen and Hong Kong capital exchanges.

The Financial Society is a research institute led by the Shenzhen Central Sub-branch of the People’s Bank of China.

Macao: Round-the-clock border crossing to open next week

Guangdong province and Macao will open a new border crossing — the Qingmao checkpoint — on Wednesday. The new crossing, which will be open round-the-clock, will allow passengers to go through customs clearance at one go.

The new crossing comes as the city saw its first positive GDP growth since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and a surge of year-on-year visitor arrivals by 44 times in the second quarter of this year.

Zhuhai: Plans to boost digitalization, Al and data analysis set in motion

Zhuhai’s data administration bureau and Hengqin Advanced Intelligent Computing Center signed a cooperative agreement on Aug 20 that aims to deepen joint efforts on intelligent technology applications.

Among the objectives are accelerating the process of building a digital government, creating a specialization in societal governance in the computing center, and establishing an edge node in Zhuhai for edge computing.

The collaboration between the two stakeholders seek to advance the development of artificial intelligence and data analysis programs, as well as continually cementing the infrastructure of data technologies. The collaboration also looks to improve the basic capacity for the digital government, propel the innovative development of digital economy, and shape a new engine for quality development of the Greater Bay Area.

Huizhou: Five-year plan for transportation released for public consultation

The Huizhou municipal bureau of transportation recently unveiled a five-year plan for transportation for public consultation.

The plan aims to develop the city into a transportation hub in the eastern part of the Greater Bay Area by 2025. It plans to connect Huizhou through high-speed rail with Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Heyuan and Shanwei in 30 minutes; in 60 to 90 minutes with Hong Kong, as well as other cities in the Pearl River Delta and in eastern Guangdong province; and in two hours with cities in western and northern Guangdong.

Dongguan: City to invest 3 billion yuan to build Hong Kong center

Dongguan will invest 3 billion yuan (US$464 million) to create a “Hong Kong center” to attract Hong Kong’s leading producer services like finance, accounting and legal services. The project will fill Dongguan’s gap in producer services — a key aid to the local business community. The new center, with a floor area of 150,000 square meters, will also provide a venue for the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and foreign investors to promote cooperation between Hong Kong and Dongguan and help Hong Kong companies do business in the region.

Zhongshan: Industrial add-value surges 21.1% in first 7 months

According to the Zhongshan municipal bureau of statistics, the city’s industrial added-value surged 21.1 percent year-on-year in the first seven months. Investment in fixed assets in the city rose 17.3 percent in the same period.

From January through July, Zhongshan’s total retail sales of consumer goods hit 90.52 billion yuan (US$14 billion), representing annual growth of 16.5 percent. The city’s consumer price index over the seven months increased 0.7 percent from the same period a year ago.

The total value of exports rose 22.7 percent year-on-year to 117.39 billion yuan in the first seven months, while the total value of imports jumped 16.3 percent to 26.38 billion yuan. A trade surplus of 91 billion yuan was recorded.

Jiangmen: Achievements exhibition showcases efforts in innovation

Jiangmen held an exhibition from Aug 27 through Wednesday to showcase official efforts in advancing innovation-fueled development in the Greater Bay Area.

The 2021 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Innovation Achievements Exhibition used multimedia to display the region’s progress in areas such as science and technology, infrastructure, youth innovation and entrepreneurship, environmental protection, and the business environment.

Zhaoqing: Electronic seals for business issued to improve efficiency

Zhaoqing issued its first electronic seals to local enterprises to improve the efficiency of business dealing. It is also a step to optimize the local business environment and accelerate the development of a digital government. Enterprises can apply for the electronic seals via WeChat and use them through fixed applications.

Several other cities in the Greater Bay Area, such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Zhuhai, have been promoting electronic seals since earlier this year to simplify the administrative process for businesses and residents.