GBA Briefs

Careers expo offers 6,500 jobs for aviation talents

More than 6,500 jobs were up for grabs at the Hong Kong International Airport Career Expo 2023 held from Aug 4 to 6, in which some 50 firms from the aviation industry, as well as government departments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, took part.

Airline companies, airport ground service providers, security companies, the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department and the Civil Aviation Department set up booths at the three-day event to brief potential applicants on job responsibilities, and provide information on various posts being offered.

Development blueprint canvasses public opinions

Macao's first ever detailed blueprint for industrial development and economic diversification began a month of public consultations on Aug 4. Under the Development Plan for Appropriate Economic Diversification of the Macao Special Administrative Region (2024-28), major tasks and key projects for industries, including tourism, traditional Chinese medicine, financial services, high-end technology, conventions and exhibitions, sports, and commercial and trade industries, are proposed.

During the consultation period, which runs until Sept 2, the Macao SAR government will also hold three public sessions on Aug 23, 25 and 26 to comprehensively collect opinions from various sectors.

Maglev rail line proposed to link with Shenzhen, HK

A proposal for the construction of a high-speed magnetic levitation track that would connect Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, with Shenzhen and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, was revealed at the 36th Guangzhou Forum of Academicians on Aug 5.

The line is designed to reach a speed of 650 kilometers per hour, allowing passengers from Guangzhou to reach Shenzhen and Hong Kong in half an hour. The line's proposed starting points in Guangzhou are Guangzhou East Railway Station, Zhujiang New City and Guangzhou Railway Station, with probable intermediate stops at Guancheng and Humen in Dongguan and Nansha in Guangzhou.

e-CNY events boost city's consumption hub status

A number of districts in Shenzhen, including Luohu, Nanshan, Longhua, Longgang and Yantian, have launched events to promote the use of the digital yuan (e-CNY) in prepaid consumption services since late July, accelerating Shenzhen's efforts to be an international consumption center city. Shenzhen unveiled a document in June aimed at enhancing the digital yuan's application in various business scenarios on a pilot basis. According to the plan, each district will select at least one operating entity in the cultural tourism, catering, pet services, hairdressing and beauty, or fitness industries for the trial program before year-end.

New tunnel links Hengqin to Wanzai area of CBD

Shizimen Tunnel - a new channel connecting the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone on Hengqin Island, Zhuhai, with the rest of the city - has opened to traffic. The 2.7-kilometer-long tunnel, with two-way four lanes, is the fifth channel linking the cooperation zone with other parts of Zhuhai.

With the new tunnel, travel from Hengqin to the Wanzai area of Zhuhai's Shizimen central business district is expected to be cut to three minutes. Industry experts say Shizimen Tunnel will alleviate traffic congestion on Hengqin Bridge, strengthening the cooperation zone's transportation capacity.

17th 'top tier grassroots football game' kicks off

The 17th Jianlibao Cup Foshan Football League kicked off at Foshan's Yunxiushan Stadium on Aug 5, with the opening match drawing more than 15,000 spectators.

A total of 26 teams from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area are taking part in the competition over the next two months.

The league first gained attention from China Central Television in 2022, and has since gone viral on the internet, earning the title of the "top-tier grassroots football game in China" from netizens.

This year's competition has introduced elementary and middle-school categories alongside the adult division, catering to a broader range of participants.

Sector leads growth for 10th consecutive quarter

The total output of Huizhou's construction industry reached 28.49 billion yuan ($3.96 billion) in the first half of this year - 28.2 percent higher than the same period in 2022, and representing the fastest growth rate in Guangdong province.

The output of the city's building sector has expanded the fastest among all cities in Guangdong for 10 consecutive quarters since early 2021 when records began.

Data from Huizhou's housing and construction department show that, as of the end of June, the number of construction enterprises in Huizhou had risen to 3,353.

Application criteria for housing to be eased

Dongguan plans to further relax the application criteria under its shared ownership housing program, enabling eligible residents to enjoy 50 percent of the property rights after paying half of an apartment's total price.

The application conditions will remain unchanged in the first phase of the sale, but will be relaxed if there are still units left in the second phase, enabling more residents to buy a home under the program.

For applicants with Dongguan household registration, the minimum number of years required in purchasing social pension insurance will be reduced from three years to one year. For those without the registration, the minimum social pension insurance purchase period will be cut from five years to two years.

Project set to focus on substrate materials in GBA

Electronic components manufacturer Elite Electronic Material will set up a 3.2-billion-yuan project in Zhongshan as part of its expansion plan.

The project, to be established in the Huoju High-Tech Industry Development Zone, will focus on the development and production of substrate materials for high-performance semiconductors.

When completed, the facility is expected to become a key research and manufacturing hub for substrate materials in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Smart equipment industry attracts 6.3b yuan to city

Jiangmen attracted 25 smart equipment industry projects in the first half of this year, with total investments of about 6.3 billion yuan ($874 million), according to industry and information technology bureau of Jiangmen municipality.

The bureau said the total industrial output value of the city's smart equipment industry chain has seen an annual increase of 4.2 percent, reaching 4.16 billion yuan.

Statistics from the smart equipment industry show there are 74 intelligent equipment-related enterprises in Jiangmen, including 20 key companies engaged mainly in the production of laser equipment and industrial robots.

Agricultural sample-testing vehicle goes into service

The nation's first sample-testing vehicle designed for agricultural insurance use went into service in Zhaoqing on Aug 1.

Equipped with advanced testing devices, the vehicle, owned by China Life Property and Casualty Insurance Co, can be used at aquacultural farms to conduct tests on water quality, as well as on viruses in fishes and shrimps.

The results will be known within three hours, much faster than sending samples to testing facilities for analysis.