GBA Briefs

Hong Kong: SAR's first electric ferry set to enter service in Q1 of next year

Hong Kong's first electric ferry, the Xin Ming Zhu 39, is set to arrive in the special administrative region this week from a shipyard in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, for a trial run.

Built with carbon fiber material, the 400-seat vessel is 70 percent lighter than its conventional counterparts and can travel for up to 12 hours after being charged for eight hours. It is expected to enter service in the first quarter of next year, running between North Point on Hong Kong Island and Hung Hom in Kowloon.

Macao: GDP growth in first 3Qs nears pre-pandemic levels

The Macao Special Administrative Region's economy has shown promising signs of recovery, with GDP in the first nine months of this year reaching 301 billion patacas ($37.38 billion) for the first time since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, representing about 86.3 percent of the GDP in 2019 for the same period.

The Statistics and Census Service said the increase was partly driven by a surge in tourism over the summer, with service exports rising by 11.4 percent year-on-year.

Internal consumption, including private consumption, government spending and investment, was up by a modest 2.7 percent during the same period.

Guangzhou: Homegrown drilling vessel to aid deep-sea exploration

The Mengxiang, China's first homegrown deep-sea drilling vessel, was commissioned in the Guangdong provincial capital, Guangzhou, on Nov 17, marking a milestone in the nation's deep-sea exploration efforts.

The ship is about 180 meters long and 33 meters wide, with a water displacement capacity of 42,600 metric tons.

Designed for a crew of 180, it has an operational range of 15,000 nautical miles and can operate for 120 days on a full tank of fuel. With a maximum drilling depth of 11,000 meters, it employs a world-leading system that can conduct scientific drilling, explore deep-sea oil and gas reserves, and extract natural gas hydrates all in one ship.

Shenzhen: Face scans replace ID card checks at Shenzhen Bay Port

Physical identification checks were replaced with facial scans for eligible travelers at Shenzhen Bay Port between Shenzhen and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Nov 20, along with Gongbei Port between Zhuhai and the Macao SAR.

The e-channel service is available under a pilot program for residents of the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao aged 14 and above, including non-Chinese nationals, who holds multientry permits or other valid documents, traveling for personal matters or leisure.

Zhuhai: Aviation expo seals deals worth $39b involving 1,200 aircraft

The six-day 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, which concluded in Zhuhai on Nov 17, secured deals worth 280 billion yuan ($38.64 billion) that involved 1,195 aircraft of various models.

The event marked several firsts, including public debuts of the J-35A and J-15T fighter jets, and the HQ-19 anti-ballistic missile system.

Foshan: City's harbors see rapid growth as economy, infrastructure improve

Foshan's harbors have developed rapidly in recent years, with the city's economy and water transportation infrastructure continuing to improve.

In the first three quarters of 2024, cargo throughput of Foshan Port increased 9.73 percent year-on-year to 80.54 million metric tons, while container throughput reached 2.83 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) — up 12.78 percent on a yearly basis.

Huizhou: Smart loading arms make debut at Quanwan Port Area

With the aim of pursuing advancement, ensuring safety and leveraging artificial intelligence, Huizhou is applying smart loading arms in the Quanwan Port Area.

A project at the area completed the installation of two hydraulic marine intelligent loading arms on Nov 11.

Equipped with an intelligent system with visual recognition, Beidou navigation, 5G communications and deep learning technologies, the loading arm can realize automatic docking of oil transfer arms, and monitor operation and troubleshoot remotely.

Dongguan: New air cargo route to Spain enhances logistics capability

A new air cargo route linking Dongguan in Guangdong province with Spain opened on Nov 4, bringing the number of international cargo routes operated by the Dongguan-Hong Kong International Airport Center to six.

More than 50,000 parcels weighing 100 metric tons left the center that day — the first batch of goods to use the new route which is expected to facilitate the transportation of goods from Dongguan and neighboring regions through Hong Kong to global destinations. The DHKIA facility, which began operations in April 2023, is an extension of HKIA's facilities in Dongguan.

Zhongshan: New bus route linking Zhuhai, Macao facilitates integration

A new bus route connecting Zhongshan, Zhuhai and the Macao Special Administrative Region went into service on Nov 18 to facilitate integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The T92 route, operated by Zhongshan Public Transport Group, covers 38.5 kilometers, with 21 km on the highway, enabling passengers to arrive directly at Hengqin Port, which links Zhuhai with the Macao SAR.

Jiangmen: Surge in new patents amid drive for greater innovation

Jiangmen reported holding 8,069 invention patents by the end of September.

The number of new patent grants rose 39 percent year-on-year to 1,614 in the first nine months of this year, while that of international Patent Cooperation Treaty applications went up 33 percent to 105, according to official data.

Zhaoqing: New 'scientist town' to attract talent needed for development

A "scientist town" was inaugurated in Zhaoqing on Nov 18 as part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's initiative to attract professionals needed for industrial development.

The launch also marked the start of the 4th Zhaoqing Talent Festival which was attended by academicians from the region.

At the ceremony, local officials issued "talent green cards" allowing out-of-town scientists access to local public services as part of efforts to boost Zhaoqing's appeal.