Tourists go through the Qingmao Checkpoint between the Macao Special Administrative Region and Guangdong province, on Sept 8, 2021. (PHOTO / IC)

Macao: SAR, Guangdong Customs beef up cooperation 

Customs officials from the Macao Special Administrative Region and Guangdong province have agreed to deepen cooperation in key areas like digital transformation, pandemic control and anti-smuggling measures.  

At their annual meeting held via video link on Dec 29, they reviewed the progress made in 2021 in strengthening collaboration between the two sides. Cooperation will be stepped up this year to further promote the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Macao’s integration into the nation’s overall development.

Guangzhou: Rail container hub boosts connectivity with Europe

A railway container transportation hub began operations on New Year’s Day in Guangzhou, making it more efficient and convenient to convey cargo between the Greater Bay Area and Europe.

Covering an area of 1.73 square kilometers in the city’s Baiyun district, the hub is the first of its kind in Guangdong province and the largest in southern China. It’s capable of handling 400 containers at a time. Along with Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and the Port of Nansha, the three hubs form a network integrating air, rail and sea cargo transportation between the Greater Bay Area and various regions in Asia and Europe.

Shenzhen: First batch of goods imported under RCEP 

China’s first batch of goods imported under the new Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership entered the Chinese mainland on Jan 1 through Huanggang Checkpoint, which is affiliated with Shenzhen Customs.

The 5.6 metric tons of goods from Japan, valued at 1.33 million yuan ($209, 220), included electronic components used in making smartphones and digital cameras, as well as backlight products. Shenzhen-based supply-chain service provider Jiuli said it could save about 6,000 yuan in tariffs under the RCEP, which went into effect on Jan 1. The RCEP is the world’s largest free-trade pact, comprising 15 member countries from the Asia-Pacific region.

Zhuhai: Air-tour trail run of EHang 216 ‘air taxi’ launched

Guangzhou-based EHang Intelligent Technology Co — the world’s leading manufacturer of autonomous aerial vehicles — has completed the test flight of its EHang 216 electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for aerial sightseeing in Zhuhai. The test flight on Dec 27 marked the launch of a trial run for the company’s air-tour services.

The EHang 216 “air taxi” can carry up to two passengers and fly for about 30 minutes after having completed more than 20,000 test flights safely so far.

The company is seeking approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China for the EHang 216 to start commercial services this year in the Greater Bay Area. Services will be extended to Hong Kong as soon as takeoff and landing sites are confirmed.

Foshan: Fixed-asset investment sees stable growth 

The added value of Foshan’s industrial enterprises above designated size in the first 11 months of last year rose by 10.9 percent to 488.4 billion yuan — up 12 percent over the same period in 2019 —according to the Foshan bureau of statistics.

The city’s fixed-asset investment grew at a faster pace, registering an annual hike of 10.7 percent from January to November last year — an increase of 11.1 percent compared with the same period in 2019.

Total retail sales of consumer goods for the period surged 9.8 percent to 327.8 billion yuan, compared with 2020. However, the figure was still down by 2.8 percent compared to the same period in 2019. The total value of exports and imports in the first 11 months of last year reached 567.2 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year growth of 27.3 percent. The figure represented an increase of 28.2 percent over that for 2019.

Huizhou: Folk art fair aims to lift intangible cultural heritage

Huizhou’s 8th Folk Art Fair has kicked off at the City College of Huizhou in December, displaying nearly 400 pieces of craft works in 20 categories, including ceramics, clay sculpture, jade carving and Chinese painting. The exhibition will last a month. This year’s fair is organized by the Huizhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the City College of Huizhou. It aims to bring folk art to the campus and promote the development of Huizhou’s intangible cultural heritage and folk art.

Dongguan: Industrial park to propel smart manufacturing 

A new industrial park promoting smart manufacturing will be fully completed by the middle of this year to drive economic growth through innovation.

Located in Daojiao town, the park is an important program undertaken by the Dongguan government. So far, it has attracted 10 enterprises that have begun operating there. The project’s first phase will see the construction of 19 factories and two dormitory buildings. Some of these factories, which occupy 70,000 square meters, are already in use, and the rest will be ready by mid-2022.

The park aims to be a center for advanced smart manufacturing in the Greater Bay Area. An industrial ecosystem will be built to foster innovation and meet the needs of technology companies by rapidly developing high-end manufacturing, research and development, trial production and testing.

Zhongshan: Port gets approval for importing medicines

The State Council has given the nod to Zhongshan to import manufactured medicines directly from other countries. Apart from regulated medicines, the Port of Zhongshan can import Chinese medicines and other chemical medicines, such as anesthetics and psychotropic drugs.

The move will strengthen Zhongshan’s capability in research, production and management in the pharmaceutical industry by slashing the costs of importing medicines.

It will beef up the city’s business advantages, particularly for the pharmaceutical sector, and attract more projects in the industry.

Jiangmen: Young Macao entrepreneurs in ‘get to know you’ visit

A group of young entrepreneurs from the Macao Special Administrative Region visited Jiangmen recently to explore the city’s innovation and entrepreneurship environment. Their activities in the city included touring enterprises founded by Macao young people. The visit was aimed at deepening Macao youngsters’ understanding of integration within the Greater Bay Area. The tour was organized by the Macao Chinese Youth Aspiration Promotion Association.

Zhaoqing: SMEs breathe a sigh of relief with taxes deferred

The Zhaoqing municipal government has rolled out a policy allowing eligible micro and small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) from the manufacturing sector to defer their tax payments of the fourth quarter from last year.

The policy is in response to the tax deferral measures announced recently by the State Taxation Administration and the Ministry of Finance to support MSMEs in the manufacturing sector across the country.

MSMEs make up the majority of Zhaoqing’s manufacturing businesses, which are facing high commodity prices and rising production costs.

The city’s taxation authorities have drawn up a list of enterprises eligible for tax deferrals and will launch publicity campaigns in connection with the move. Efforts will also be stepped up to simplify the process and ensure that the policy is smoothly implemented.