Hong Kong: Rules waived for SARs yachts entering other GBA cities

Yachts from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions are now allowed to enter or leave nine Guangdong cities with streamlined procedures, reducing the financial burden on yacht owners.

The new policy, which was approved by the State Council on May 29 and takes immediate effect, includes scrapping a “guarantee” requirement previously imposed on yachts from the two SARs when entering or exiting the mainland through designated ports in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing, as well as canceling “temporary ship nationality registration”.

Macao: Shot in the arm for mainland SMEs going global

About 850 business leaders, officials and entrepreneurs gathered in the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin from May 28 to 30 for the Belt and Road International Economic and Trade Exchange Conference for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises to discuss helping Chinese SMEs go global.

The participants included delegates from Russia, Portugal, Mozambique, South Korea and Kyrgyzstan. The discussions focused on cross-border trade, industrial investment, financial empowerment, technical cooperation, and setting up a pragmatic national-level cooperation platform to assist SMEs go global.

Guangzhou: US cancer treatment center opens in Guangdong

World-leading cancer treatment and research center, United States-based City of Hope, launched its first international patient service centers on the Chinese mainland on May 24, starting with two United Family hospitals, one in the Guangdong provincial capital Guangzhou, the other in Shenzhen.

The International Patient Office provides core services, including joint case management and cutting-edge treatment information. Besides clinical collaboration, both sides will deepen scientific and academic cooperation aimed at integrating international expertise with Chinese clinical practices, thereby advancing medical capacity and high-quality development in the Greater Bay Area.

Shenzhen: HKBU-Qianhai inno institute eyes tech cooperation

Hong Kong Baptist University and the Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone of Shenzhen opened a joint innovation and entrepreneurship institute on May 29 to accelerate the commercialization of research findings in the Greater Bay Area.

The HKBU Qianhai Institute for Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship will focus on artificial intelligence in life and health sciences, as well as sustainable development technologies. By leveraging the Greater Bay Area’s rich application scenarios and supply chains, the facility will conduct pilot research and small-scale production trials.

HKBU signed memorandums of understanding with two investment funds at the launch ceremony, offering full lifecycle support to incubated enterprises.

Zhuhai: Border crossings surpass 100m earlier than last year

Passenger crossings at Zhuhai’s boundary immigration and customs checkpoints had exceeded 100 million by May 30 this year, reaching a milestone 16 days earlier than in 2025.

Chinese mainland residents bound for Hong Kong and Macao accounted for 55 million — up 9 percent from a year earlier. The number of crossings into Zhuhai by residents from the two SARs reached 42 million — an increase of more than 10 percent. Hengqin Port saw the fastest growth, handling more than 15 million passenger trips this year — up 30 percent year-on-year.

The authorities attributed the growth partly to wider adoption of smart clearance systems, with one among five travelers cleared using facial recognition.

Foshan: Japan’s Nidec Elevator opens South China headquarters

Japan-based Nidec Elevator has opened its South China headquarters in Foshan’s Shunde district, eying annual sales of 1.5 billion yuan ($222 million) by 2030, according to the city’s investment promotion authorities.

Company executives said the new base will integrate into Foshan’s industrial ecosystem, creating more job opportunities and strengthening the city’s high-end equipment manufacturing sector.

Official data showed that 438 companies funded by non-Chinese mainland investors had begun operating in Foshan in the first quarter of this year — up 22 percent from a year earlier. Actualized investment from these sources reached 1.6 billion yuan for the same period. Foshan is now home to more than 9,900 non-mainland invested enterprises.

Huizhou: Xingshen to set up R&D headquarters in Zhongkai

Autonomous driving solutions provider Changsha Xingshen Intelligent Technology Co Ltd signed an agreement on May 26 to establish its South China manufacturing and research and development headquarters in Huizhou’s Zhongkai High-tech Zone, with a total investment of about 1.6 billion yuan.

The project will be built in two phases, with 600 million yuan planned for the first phase and 1 billion yuan for the second. When operational, the facility will produce unmanned logistics vehicles and deploy multi-scenario systems, including driverless sanitation vehicles and autonomous buses.

It will also work with the Zhongkai High-tech Zone to build a zone-wide demonstration area for unmanned applications, improving the zone’s intelligent operations.

Dongguan: City supports low-altitude economy with industrial park

As a parallel venue to the 10th Drone World Congress 2026 in Shenzhen, Dongguan’s Fenggang town has attracted 500 domestic and international companies, featuring 20 industry-leading companies.

The Fenggang authorities unveiled a 138,000-square-meter modern industrial park on May 24, dedicated to unmanned systems, facilitating further cooperation with the Shenzhen UAV Industry Association in building a Greater Bay Area low-altitude and unmanned system ecosystem hub. Construction is set to begin by yearend, with operations to commence in 2027. Seven quality enterprises also signed agreements to move into Fenggang, lifting Dongguan’s goal to be a low altitude economy powerhouse in the Greater Bay Area.

Zhongshan: Sanjiao town clinches projects worth 1.9b yuan

Zhongshan’s Sanjiao town secured eight projects covering new materials, smart home appliances and biomedicine at an investment signing ceremony on May 29, with investments amounting to 1.9 billion yuan.

Occupying a strategic location in the Greater Bay Area, Sanjiao is a key hub for integrated development on the eastern and western banks of the Pearl River Delta. It takes about 15 minutes to commute to Nansha district, Guangzhou, and about one hour to Shenzhen.

Sanjiao concentrates on high-quality development, with its gross domestic product reaching 12.48 billion yuan in 2025.

Jiangmen: Greater Bay Area’s coffee hub goal a step closer

Jiangmen unveiled an action plan on May 27 to promote high-quality development of its coffee brand, with the aim of becoming a core coffee industry hub in the Greater Bay Area by 2028.

The city plans to make itself a national base for coffee roasting and equipment manufacturing, as well as a global platform for industry cooperation and exchange. It’ll develop a specialty coffee planting belt at Tianlu Mountain and five industrial bases with county-level characteristics.

Jiangmen also intends to catalyze its service sector, promoting coffee not only as a product, but as a lifestyle choice integrated with cultural and tourism experiences.

Zhaoqing: Zongzi ‘super league’ showcases traditional culture

A “zongzi super league” kicked off in Zhaoqing on May 25, creating an integrated platform for industry competition, cultural exhibition, brand empowerment and consumption promotion.

The event centers on zongzi — sweet or savory stuffed rice dumplings wrapped in plant leaves, typically associated with the Dragon Boat Festival. An award ceremony will be held on June 12. Winners will be determined by combined online and offline reviews. The zongzi samples submitted for the competition will be showcased at a 10-day offline exhibition, allowing visitors to experience the flavors and culture of the iconic festive food up close.