GBA briefs

Hong Kong: Medical consultation subsidies extended to May

Hong Kong patients with chronic diseases living in Guangdong province can continue to receive subsidized medical consultations at the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital until May 9. Each patient will also get an additional subsidy of 1,000 yuan ($137).

Eligible Hong Kong patients have been getting follow-up consultations at designated HKU-SZH clinics in Shenzhen since November 2020 by paying 100 yuan for each visit, with the rest subsidized by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government. About 45,600 Hong Kong patients have benefitted from the program so far.

Macao: Electronic application resumes for visitors

Chinese mainland residents can apply for travel endorsements to visit the Macao Special Administrative Region using electronic self-service machines again, without having to submit paper documents. However, the service does not apply to those who have traveled to areas classified as high or medium-risk for COVID-19.

The Macao Government Tourism Office welcomed the resumption of electronic endorsement applications, saying they would help Macao's economy.

Guangzhou: Largest single cold storage facility begins service

Nansha Port Area's cold chain storage project at the Guangzhou International Logistics Center has begun operations, making it the largest single cold storage facility in the country.

After completing customs clearance at the center, imported goods can be transported to other cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area within an hour and to other parts of the Chinese mainland within 24 hours.

The first phase of the cold chain project covers an area of 208,000 square meters, with a planned cold storage capacity of 460,000 metric tons and a dedicated storage yard of 54,600 square meters. On full completion, it can handle 10,000 TEUs of cold chain goods imported or to be exported monthly. At present, more than 50 types of fresh cold chain products are imported through Nansha Port. The total value of goods imported in the first three quarters of this year exceeded 17.4 billion yuan ($2.39 billion).

Shenzhen: GDP hits $310 billion in the first nine months

Shenzhen's GDP in the first three quarters of this year reached 2.29 trillion yuan ($310 billion) — a year-on-year increase of 3.3 percent — according to the statistics bureau of Shenzhen. "The city's economy has continued to recover and the overall operation is within a reasonable scope," the bureau said.

The added value of the secondary industry during the same period rose 5.2 percent year-on-year to about 836.5 billion yuan, while the added value of the service sector climbed 2.2 percent to 1.45 trillion yuan.

Zhuhai: Financial institutions to get $8 million in grants

Macao financial institutions operating in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone on Zhuhai's Hengqin Island will be eligible for grants of up to 60 million yuan ($8.24 million), according to the Hengqin authorities.

The policy is expected to take effect on Nov 7. It aims to deepen financial cooperation between Hengqin and the Macao Special Administrative Region and encourage the innovative development of high-quality financial enterprises at Hengqin.

Almost all financial activities, including licensed financial institutions, regional financial organizations, private investment funds, as well as other recognized financial establishments, are entitled to the subsidy.

Foshan: Growth rate ranks third in Pearl River Delta

Foshan's economy has been on a steady upward trend in the first three quarters of this year. The city's GDP exceeded 885 billion yuan ($121.8 billion) in the first nine months of 2022 — a year-on-year increase of 2.9 percent — ranking third in the Pearl River Delta in terms of growth rate, according to Foshan municipal statistics bureau.

Economists say Foshan's positive economic performance is because of the city's large economic aggregate, solid industrial foundation, effective economic stabilization policies, stabilized corporate expectations that have offset the negative impact of the external environment, while its comprehensive manufacturing system provides constant support for stable economic growth.

Huizhou: City set to be linked with Shenzhen Metro Line 14

Shenzhen's Metro Line 14 and the Line 11 Futian-Gangxia North section went into service on Oct 28. The three hubs along Line 14 — Gangxia North, Dayun and Huangmugang — began passenger services.

Metro Line 14 is a fully-automated line that runs through Pingshan, Longgang, Luohu and Futian districts. With a total length of 50.32 kilometers, the line is set to be extended to Huizhou, greatly reducing the travel time between the two cities.

The subway stations along Line 14 will have an integrated new track structure to reduce noise and vibration when trains arrive at the stations.

Dongguan: Tunnel construction for hydraulic project completed

The construction of a tunnel for a hydraulic engineering project to allocate water resources in the Pearl River Delta region has been completed in Dongguan's Dalingshan Town. The completion marks a milestone in the project that will benefit 11.4 million people in the region.

When the 113-kilometer system goes into operation next year, it will supply Guangzhou, Dongguan and Shenzhen with water from the Xijiang River in Foshan, and provide water for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region when the need arises.

Zhongshan: Businesses assured of intellectual property rights

Zhongshan is making progress in intellectual property protection by supporting scientific and technological innovation and industrial cluster development. Ten Zhongshan-based organizations, including Zhongzhi Pharmaceutical Group, have won national and provincial patent awards, according to the Guangdong provincial government.

The city has been actively building up an IPR public service system, setting up service windows for trademark businesses, and promoting the establishment of trademark cultivation and guidance stations.

At present, Zhongshan is home to nine national model intellectual property companies, 41 outstanding national intellectual property enterprises and 79 provincial model intellectual property firms. The number of newly-registered trademarks in the city reached 260,410 in the third quarter of this year.

Jiangmen: Semiconductor sector road map drawn up

The Jiangmen municipal government has drawn up a road map for the development of the local semiconductor and integrated circuit sector in the next three years.

The Three-Year Action Plan (2023-25) for the industry's high-quality growth will focus on upgrading the production of optoelectronic chips, sensors, electronic materials and compound semiconductors.

The government aims to achieve the goal by attracting investment and talent, as well as encouraging the growth of innovation and technology.

Zhaoqing: City ups the stakes in bid to be 'vegetable basket'

Zhaoqing has started work on eight transportation projects to shore up its plan to be the "vegetable basket" of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Five of the projects involve an investment of more than 1 billion yuan ($140 million).

The city has plowed 4.56 billion yuan into building transportation facilities so far this year — a 33 percent year-on-year increase.

One of the key provincial projects — upgrading the national highway 355 with an investment of 830 million yuan — will help to effectively relieve public transport congestion at Zhaoqing's Huaiji county when the two-way, six-lane highway is completed.