Hong Kong: Festival boosts SAR’s status as a global hub for fintech

The five-day Hong Kong FinTech Week x StartmeupHK Festival 2025 was a landmark joint event, uniting two flagship initiatives and setting a new record with more than 45,000 participants from over 120 economies.

The event, held from Nov 3 to 7, strengthened the special administrative region’s position as a global hub for financial innovation and the digital economy. It was characterized by strong government and regulatory support, such as the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s “Fintech 2030” vision that focuses on data and payment infrastructure, artificial intelligence and tokenization.

The joint celebration of two flagship events reaffirmed the SAR’s commitment to advancing the digital economy.

Macao: City sees steady growth with Q3 GDP growing 8%

The Macao Special Administrative Region’s economy maintained steady growth in the third quarter of this year, with its gross domestic product up by eight percent year-on-year in real terms to 103.86 billion patacas ($12.95 billion).

The figure took the cumulative GDP for the first three quarters of 2025 to 301.33 billion patacas — a 4.2-percent year-on-year increase, representing 88.4 percent of the SAR’s pre-pandemic economic output, compared with the same period in 2019.

According to Macao’s Statistics and Census Service, the robust performance was primarily driven by a surge in service exports, fueled by a surge in visitor arrivals during the summer peak season and sustained momentum in the tourism sector.

Guangzhou: Forum unites AI, robotics experts in Greater Bay Area

The inaugural Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Artificial Intelligence and Medical Robotics Forum, held on Nov 8, gathered leading clinical experts, researchers, engineers and industry representatives to explore cutting-edge trends and implement pathways for integrating AI with medical robotics.

The forum focused on setting up a committee to serve as the central body for advancing the interdisciplinary field. The committee unveiled a detailed strategic plan, outlining five core missions on platform construction, academic leadership, talent cultivation, research collaboration and industrial translation.

The event marks a transformative move for the Greater Bay Area to inject fresh momentum into regional medical collaboration, and drive the intelligent advancement of healthcare innovation and medical education.

Shenzhen: Event fosters Sino-Swiss innovation ties in GBA

A roundtable to beef up collaboration in innovation between the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Switzerland was held in Shenzhen on Nov 4 to mark the 75th anniversary of Sino-Swiss diplomatic relations.

It brought together Chinese mainland officials and Swiss diplomats, including Wen Ping, deputy director-general of the Qianhai Authority, and Markus Thur, consul-general of Switzerland in Guangzhou, as well as some 200 representatives of Chinese and Swiss companies engaged in life sciences, precision and intelligent manufacturing, automation and robotics. The event offered a platform for enterprises in both countries to exchange experiences and explore new cooperation opportunities.

Zhuhai: Cross-boundary ambulance program with HK upgraded

An ambulance lifeline has been formed between Zhuhai and Hong Kong, with the special administrative region upgrading its pilot program for direct cross-boundary ambulance transfer within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Launched in November last year, the program has linked direct patient handoffs across major medical facilities in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Macao, significantly reducing delays and improving continuity of medical care across the region.

Foshan: Hardware firm starts mega plant, increases city output  

Foshan-based hardware supplier Higold Group began building a new manufacturing center in Shunde district on Nov 4. The facility, estimated to cost more than 1 billion yuan ($140.4 million), aims to establish an integrated super plant with a total building area of more than 250,000 square meters.

The project is due to be completed by late 2027, and will serve as the primary production base for basic hardware and precision core components. It’s expected that, with full capacity, the company’s yearly output of hardware hinges and rail items would exceed 800 million pieces.

Huizhou: Young skaters show their mettle at National Games

Teenagers dominated the podium in the skateboarding competition at the 15th National Games in Huizhou on Tuesday. Guangdong’s Zou Mingke, 13, claimed gold in the women’s park event, and 17-year-old Chen Ye, the 2022 Asian Games champion, took the men’s park title.

Huizhou skater Zheng Haohao, who was the youngest competitor at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at age 11, earned a bronze medal in the women’s park final on her home ground. Shandong’s 15-year-old Cui Chenxi won gold in the women’s street event. Veteran Pan Jiajie, who claimed gold in the men’s street event, encouraged the younger competitors to enjoy the sport.

Dongguan: Value of imports, exports surges by impressive 14.4%

Dongguan’s total value of imports and exports hit a record 1.17 trillion yuan in the first three quarters of 2025, marking a 14.4-percent year-on-year increase — the highest growth rate among major foreign trade cities in Guangdong province.

According to the latest statistics from the Huangpu Customs District of China, the performance contributed 2.2 percentage points to the province’s overall trade growth, reinforcing Dongguan’s role as a key driver of regional trade expansion.

Private enterprises emerged as the core pillar of growth, with imports and exports surging 21.7 percent to 729.57 billion yuan.

Zhongshan: Smart facial recognition accelerates travel at port

Zhongshan Port started offering facial recognition smart clearance services from Nov 5, allowing travelers to clear Customs in seconds without having to present their physical identification documents.

Four categories of travelers, including holders of Hong Kong permanent identity cards and home return permits aged 14 and above, are allowed to use the new system.

Other ports in Guangdong province, including Huanggang Port in Shenzhen, and Hengqin Port in Zhuhai, also rolled out the new services the same day, significantly increasing checkpoint efficiency and smoothing cross-boundary passage in the Guangdong-Hong-Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Jiangmen: Partnership with Shenzhen to enhance regional research

A new industrial cooperation park between Jiangmen’s Jianghai district and Shenzhen’s Nanshan district went into operation on Nov 5, establishing a partnership to support regional research and development transformation.

The park, located in the Jiangmen Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone, will focus on sectors like safety emergency response, new-generation electronics, high-end equipment, and biomedicine.

By leveraging Shenzhen’s cutting-edge innovative resources and Jiangmen’s industrial strengths, the park provides fertile ground for enterprises to accelerate research and production.

Zhaoqing: IP, finance plan contributes to economic stimulation

Zhaoqing hosted an intellectual property finance innovation and patent commercialization event on Nov 5 to support high-quality economic development. It led to a 15-billion-yuan pledge in intellectual property financing credit agreements signed on site.

As a key measure under the national “IP + Finance” strategy, the activity showcased Zhaoqing’s leadership in integrating intellectual property with financial services. Multiple innovative cases were launched, providing diversified financing pathways for technology enterprises, the agricultural sector and State-owned companies.

The initiative highlights the city’s commitment to drive industrial upgrading through coordinated technological innovation and financial empowerment.