GBA Briefs

Hong Kong

Seven new nursing homes open to retirees from HK

Elderly residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region can enjoy government-subsidized services at seven additional nursing homes in Guangdong province from today after the SAR extended a program to encourage cross-border retirement.

The new care homes comprise four in Guangdong's provincial capital Guangzhou, two in Foshan and one in Zhongshan. Five of them are run by Chinese mainland institutions, while the others are joint ventures between mainland and Hong Kong organizations.

The program, launched in 2014, provides an option for Hong Kong elderly people waiting to be admitted to subsidized residential care homes in the city. With the additions, the program now includes 11 participating facilities, with the original four in Shenzhen, Zhongshan, and Zhao-qing.

Macao

SAR shines at tourism congress in Spain

A Macao Night event highlighting the special administrative region's allure as a venue for tourism, conventions and exhibitions was held during the 49th Portuguese Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies Congress in Spain on Oct 25.

About 640 representatives of the Portuguese tourism industry attended the event.

The Macao SAR's tourism office showcased the city's multicultural heritage and presented Macao delicacies along with performances combining Chinese and Western arts.

The event was a prelude to the next edition of the congress to be held in Macao from Dec 2-4 next year.

Guangzhou

Construction of flying car manufacturing base starts

Construction of the world's first smart manufacturing base for flying cars began in Guangzhou on Oct 27, marking a milestone in the city's efforts to develop the low-altitude economy, which refers to economic activities within airspace of less than 3,000 meters above ground.

The base - a project of XPENG AEROHT - will make components for the company's modular flying car, Land Aircraft Carrier, with an expected annual production capacity of 10,000 units.

Located in the Guangzhou Development Zone, the project's initial phase covers an area of about 180,000 square meters, with four workshops for the production and assembly of components.

Shenzhen

Marine economy expo attracts industry leaders

The three-day 2024 China Marine Economy Expo began on Thursday at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center and Baoan International Airport's ferry terminal. Representatives of more than 400 global enterprises, institutions and organizations from the marine sector are taking part.

The spotlight of this year's event is on cutting-edge maritime technologies and products, featuring the world's largest semisubmersible drilling platform, unmanned vessels and seaplanes.

There is a series of forums with more than 150 speakers, including ambassadors and representatives of UNESCO, the World Bank and the International Maritime Organization. They will discuss topics like deep-sea technology, shipping and ocean ecological civilization.

Zhuhai

New drone delivery route to Shenzhen is in service

A new drone delivery route, backed by Shenzhen-based global courier SF Express, has been launched between Zhuhai's Xiangzhou district and Shenzhen, offering consumers a high-speed option during the Double 11 shopping festival.

The new route - the second linking both cities - is used mainly to transport time-sensitive goods, such as fresh fruits and seafood that require strict handling conditions.

Given the manpower shortage during the peak season, courier companies in Zhuhai are doubling down on automation, and have streamlined their operations by deploying unmanned sorting forklifts.

Foshan

Tourist numbers go up as new initiatives bear fruit

Foshan has seen good results with new steps taken to boost the cultural, sports and tourism sectors as it explores diversified and personalized activities based on the profound Chinese cultural heritage.

In the first three quarters of this year, Foshan welcomed 45.57 million domestic and overseas visitors - up 8.5 percent year-on-year. Total tourism revenue reached 46.66 billion yuan - a year-on-year increase of 17.49 percent.

The city is actively leveraging mega sports events, theater performances, museums, local specialties and natural scenery to attract tourists and encourage spending. A new trend in urban walking among tourists is being utilized to promote the revitalization and renewal of old buildings.

Huizhou

Economy shows good performance Jan-Sept

Huizhou's GDP climbed 4.7 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2024 to 420 billion yuan ($58.95 billion), driven by a vibrant market and a solid industrial and agricultural base.

According to the city's statistics bureau, the value-added of industrial enterprises above a designated size stood at 188.2 billion yuan in the first nine months of this year - up 8.8 percent year-on-year. The total output value for agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery was 37.2 billion yuan - a year-on-year growth of 4.8 percent.

Consumption and foreign trade also saw strong performance. In the first three quarters, the value of total retail sales of consumer goods amounted to 162.5 billion yuan - a year-on-year rise of 2.5 percent, ranking first in Guangdong province. Foreign trade reached 295 billion yuan - up 17.5 percent year-on-year.

Dongguan

IP-based loans opened to apply for toy companies

Dongguan - the nation's "capital of trendy toys" - introduced a new loan, enabling toy companies to use their intellectual properties as collateral, during the 14th China International Animation Copyright Fair held on Oct 26.

To secure the loan, the Bank of Dongguan will allow toy manufacturers to mortgage intellectual properties such as copyrights, patents, and trademarks. Based on a borrower's operational and tax situation, the bank will lend up to 30 million yuan with a relatively low interest rate per applicant.

As the first batch of beneficiaries, three trendy toys companies have obtained bank credits totaling 55 million yuan.

Zhongshan

Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link extended to Nansha

An extension of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link to Nansha district in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, officially came into operation on Wednesday,reducing traveling time between Nansha and Shenzhen Baoan International Airport from 1 hour to just 20 minutes.

The 24-kilometer cross-sea expressway, which opened in June, has played an important role in connecting the eastern and western banks of the Pearl River estuary, registering heavy traffic.

According to the Guangdong provincial transportation department, the link's cumulative traffic volume had surpassed 10 million vehicles as of Oct 25.

Jiangmen

City seals trade pact with Indonesian conglomerate

The commerce bureau of Jiangmen signed a trade cooperation agreement with Indonesia's Kawan Lama Group on Oct 25 at the 136th China Import and Export Fair, or Canton Fair, in Guangzhou to enhance overseas sales of Jiangmen products.

The Indonesian conglomerate had previously clinched similar accords with Jiangmen enterprises at three consecutive Canton Fairs. According to the procurement director of the multisector group, the conglomerate sourced goods worth about 300 million yuan from Jiangmen last year.

Zhaoqing

ESG accounts to speed up companies' green push

Up to 314 enterprises at Zhao-qing's high-technology industrial development zone have opened ESG (environmental, social and governance) accounts.

The accounts, operated in association with the local government and banks, are used to measure the progress in the green and digital transformation of companies.

ESG accounts can also help firms to get loans with simplified procedures. For businesses that have made limited progress, the accounts can help them to set goals and obtain funds for promoting transformation.