GBA Briefs

CUHK's biobank gets global recognition

The Chinese University of Hong Kong's biobank of data and human tissue samples has received international accreditation. The university said this will enhance the city's standing as a hub for drug research and development.

The CU-Med Biobank and a biobank in South Korea are the only biobanks in the Asia-Pacific region to have received such acclaim from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation.

The CUHK biobank has reserves of more than 100,000 sample vials each year. The biobank committee said international accreditation will significantly increase the facility's sample storage capacity.

New service center to lift youth development

The newly established Macau Youth Development Service Centre went into operation on June 30, signing cooperation agreements on 46 projects with various institutions and enterprises, including Jinan University and China International Trust Investment Corporation Group, to support the development of youth in the special administrative region and facilitate their integration into the country's overall development.

The center will initially focus on seven priority service areas, including learning, mental health, career counseling, and exchanges between Macao SAR and the Chinese mainland, to address the urgent and practical difficulties faced by young people in the SAR.

New trade route linking GBA to Central Asia opens

The first international train under a new trade route linking the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area with Central Asian countries Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan left Guangzhou on July 4, marking the official launch of the transnational route, which involves rail and road transport.

Carrying various products from the Greater Bay Area, such as furniture and small appliances, the train departed Guangzhou International Port. After reaching Kashgar railway station in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, the cargo left China and arrived in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. The route can save five days compared with traditional travel options, providing a faster channel for trade exchanges between the GBA and Central Asia.

External trade sector gets boost in financing needs

Shenzhen is enforcing 24 measures to support the financing needs of private, as well as micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, giving the city's external trade sector a shot in the arm.

The measures cover four aspects, with priority given to increasing credit support for the import and export sector by helping foreign trade enterprises to reduce costs and raise efficiency. The measures are expected to optimize cross-boundary settlement services and promote the innovative development of foreign trade.

City hosts HK lawmakers to strengthen cooperation

A delegation from G19 - a collaboration platform comprising 18 members of the seventh Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region - visited Zhuhai and the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone on Hengqin Island on July 9 to promote closer integration.

During the two-day tour, the team toured the Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park of Cooperation between Guangdong and Macao, and the Zhuhai Academy for Advanced Integrated Circuit, and studied the colocation of boundary control facilities at Hengqin Port.

Urgent measures rolled out to meet summer rush

Foshan's municipal public security bureau is implementing a series of measures to make it more convenient for residents to apply for passports and other travel documents in response to the travel rush, fueled by the start of schools' summer vacation.

The travel season has been in full swing since early this year following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions across the country. The urge to travel to other provinces or overseas has intensified as students began their summer vacation, greatly increasing the number of applicants for travel documents.

To cope with the demand, the bureau has decided to extend service hours. Other measures include members of the public making appointments on WeChat mini programs.

Digital RMB taxation service makes debut

With the support of the customs real-time taxation function of the Treasury Information Process System, a Huizhou-based optoelectronics technology company paid import tariffs and value-added taxes amounting to 33,125 yuan ($4,624) in digital renminbi earlier this month.

The taxes were settled with the national treasury the next working day. It's the first time digital renminbi has been used in the country in a tripartite agreement for paying import taxes, demonstrating the successful implementation of the "Digital Renminbi + TIPS Customs Real-time Taxation" service in Huizhou.

The company said it's highly efficient and convenient to pay customs taxes in digital renminbi.

New ferry route to HK downtown area launched

A new ferry route linking Dongguan with Hong Kong's downtown area began its maiden voyage on July 8, providing residents a new travel option between the two cities.

The route is scheduled to operate from July 8 to Aug 31, a period during schools' summer vacation, with round-trip ferries operating on Saturdays. The service connects Humen Ferry Terminal in Dongguan and China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.

First QFLP pilot company bolsters foreign investment

Zhongshan Yingshi Private Equity Fund Management Co completed its business registration recently, marking the official establishment of the city's first pilot fund management company for Qualified Foreign Limited Partnership (QFLP) equity investment initiated by foreign investors, according to the Zhongshan finance bureau.

QFLP pilot companies are set up with the participation of overseas enterprises or individuals, raising funds from investors through nonpublic means and investing in a nonpublicly traded corporate equity. They serve as important channels for foreign investment in domestic equity investment.

HK, Macao youth study trip promotes exchanges

The 2023 Hong Kong and Macao Youth Summer Study Trip to Jiangmen took place on July 6 to promote exchanges and integration among youths in Jiangmen and the two special administrative regions.

Jiangmen has cultivated 43 exchange bases with rich research value, and formulated six themes such as industrial intelligence and rural revitalization, providing reference guidelines for Hong Kong and Macao teenagers to observe and immerse themselves in the country's development in terms of the economy, culture, society and ecology.

Space enthusiasts to get simulated experience

Space exploration enthusiasts in Zhaoqing will be able to experience simulated life in space at a new space-themed experience center opening to the public on Sunday.

Located in the city's Guangning county, the center has four main areas - an aerospace technology experience zone, a space breeding laboratory, a space digital library, and a space agriculture planting area.

Visitors will have a chance to try out rocket simulation models, flight simulation trainers for astronauts, and simulated space suits. Representatives of the national team of astronauts will be present on the opening day and meet with teachers and students from middle and primary schools in Guangning.