Policies offer equal treatment to people from HK, Macao

The central government's top authority for Hong Kong and Macao affairs announced on Monday a new series of policies that grant residents of the two special administrative regions equal access to subsidies for home purchases, school scholarship and financial support for social science research on the mainland.

The announcement was widely acclaimed in Hong Kong, with stakeholders in the labor and education sectors saying such policies would greatly contribute to a closer connection with the mainland.

According to the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, people from the SARs who work on the Chinese mainland are entitled to receive public funds for housing through a financing channel used by the central government to assist workers through their companies.