GBA briefs

Hong Kong: SAR hosts Future Science Prize Week for the first time

The 2023 Future Science Prize Week, which drew more than 100 scientists from around the world, was held in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the first time.

The four-day event, which kicked off at Hong Kong Science Park on Oct 14, included a scientific summit, the Asian Young Scientist Fellowship Annual Conference, dialogues among awardees and young people, and an award presentation ceremony on Oct 17.

Jointly established by scientists and entrepreneurs in 2016, the Future Science Prize is in recognition of original research in fundamental science. So far, 35 laureates have won the award, including five from Hong Kong.

Macao: Hangzhou firms offer 42 internships for Macao youth

The third phase of an exchange program aimed at providing youth from the Macao Special Administrative Region with entrepreneurial training and internships in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has begun accepting applications, with 42 places on offer. Applications close on Oct 27.

The internships, offered by Alibaba Group, Yunzhi Intelligent Group, Alibaba International and Taotian Group, cover 15 business categories, including employee philanthropy, marketing, project management, merchant expansion and public relations.

Macao residents, who are 35 years old or younger and meet the specified criteria, can apply through the Labour Affairs Bureau during the registration period.

Guangzhou: Canton Fair autumn session sees remarkable results

The ongoing Canton Fair autumn session has achieved remarkable results, with more than 100,000 pre-registered buyers from 215 countries and regions. Compared to that of the previous fair, the number of pre-registered buyers from countries and regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative has gone up by 11.2 percent.

By 5 pm on the opening day on Oct 15, over 50,000 overseas buyers from 201 countries and regions had attended the offline exposition, with the largest increase among BRI countries and regions.

The Guangzhou municipal government distributed consumption vouchers worth more than 10 million yuan ($1.36 million) to welcome the participants. The autumn fair runs from Oct 15 to Nov 4, with three phases from Oct 15-19; Oct 23 -27; and Oct 31 to Nov 4.

Shenzhen: Nation's first e-CNY park to propel digital currency

Marking a major step in promoting the nation's digital currency, or e-CNY, Shenzhen launched the nation's first digital renminbi industrial park in Luohu district on Oct 11, with the first batch of nine financial companies, including Hengbao Co, Wuhan Tianyu Information Industry Co and Lakala Payment, moving in.

Luohu district also unveiled 10 initiatives to boost the development of the local digital renminbi ecosystem. The government will set aside 100 million yuan ($13.7 million) as special support funds over the next three years to develop the digital RMB ecosystem in the district, focusing on computing, algorithms and data analysis relating to the digital economy.

Zhuhai: Recruitment drive for SARs, mainland graduates

Zhuhai has unveiled a host of policies to attract fresh graduates from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, as well as those from other universities on the Chinese mainland, in a bid to drive the growth of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone.

Authorities in Zhuhai and the cooperation zone jointly launched a talent recruitment tour on Oct 14, making its first stop at the Macau University of Science and Technology.

More than 100 enterprises in key industries are offering over 5,000 positions, with the highest annual salary of up to 1.35 million yuan.

Foshan: City signs off on deals worth 300b yuan from Jan to Sept

Foshan signed contracts for 368 projects between January and September this year, marking a year-on-year growth of 10.18 percent. The value of total contracted investments for the first three quarters exceeded 300 billion yuan.

In September alone, the city had 43 newly signed projects worth more than 100 million yuan each. Total contracted investments amounted to 34.55 billion yuan. There were eight major industrial projects with investments exceeding 1 billion yuan each, with 22.1 billion yuan in contracted investments.

Huizhou: Autops Technology goes deep with underwater robot

Shenzhen-based Autops Technology held a signing and groundbreaking ceremony for its underwater robot headquarters project at Taidong Science and Technology Park on Oct 9.

The Daya Bay Autops underwater robot headquarters project, nestled in Daya Bay's Xinxing Industrial Park, Huizhou, is due to start production by the end of this month. It aims to manufacture 100,000 underwater cleaning robots within the year. The facility is expected to have an annual output of 1 million underwater cleaning robots when it reaches full production capacity, contributing an estimated production value of 1 billion yuan.

Dongguan: Components trade fair draws 1,000 companies

A two-day trade fair featuring automotive repair components began in Dongguan's Machong district on Oct 14, attracting more than 1,000 enterprises. The products on display included automotive parts and maintenance products, and new energy vehicle parts.

Participating companies include distributors of automotive components, internationally renowned automotive brands, and automotive parts manufacturing factories. The fair is aimed at providing domestic and international buyers with a one-stop procurement platform, offering multiple brands of automotive constituents. The output value of Machong district's automobile industry stood at 2.17 billion yuan in 2022. The district imported 304,000 vehicles, ranking first in the country.

Zhongshan: Processing and trading enterprises on the rise

The number of processing and trading enterprises operating in Zhongshan has reached 578 so far this year — an increase of 20, compared to the previous year. According to Zhongshan Customs, it has carried out comprehensive checks on more than 100 processing and trading enterprises. It also set up a dedicated "one-on-one" service mechanism with 21 key enterprises, tackling and resolving 13 problems raised by these firms.

Zhongshan Customs has further implemented various measures to optimize the business environment at ports, and facilitate the gradual relocation of enterprises from cities like Shenzhen and Dongguan. The moves are aimed at propelling the business landscape and maintaining the development momentum.

Jiangmen: Direct high-speed rail services to HK launched

Direct high-speed train services between Jiangmen and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region began on Oct 11 along the newly established route of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Rail. Passengers in Jiangmen can depart at various points, including Jiangmen Railway Station or Kaipingnan Railway Station. Passengers began purchasing tickets on Oct 4, and one round-trip is arranged every day.

Travelers from Hong Kong to Jiangmen also have alternative transportation options. Chu Kong Shipping Group currently operates ferry services from Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui to Jiangmen Port. The trip takes about two hours and 30 minutes. Cross-boundary buses operate direct routes from the SAR to downtown Jiangmen, taking about four hours.

Zhaoqing: District organizes night job fairs for hiring talents

To help companies hire talents, Zhaoqing's Duanzhou district has started night job fairs, offering more than 3,000 positions.

Aimed at giving the night economy a boost, the fairs are being held in downtown areas, close to cultural and tourism landmarks often frequented by young people. Special recruitment sessions are organized for key urban companies, manufacturing industries, business startups, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises, providing 3,687 jobs.

By late last month, more than 150 enterprises had joined the night fairs, having received almost 1,000 applications and employed over 100 young professionals.