GBA briefs

Hong Kong: CUHK students win again at robot contest

A robotics team from the Chinese University of Hong Kong has won the championship at the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union's Asia-Pacific Robot Contest for the second time.

The team, which came up with a 360-degree rotation wheel system for robots, defeated participating teams of 12 countries and regions from across the Asia-Pacific in this year's online final held in the Indian capital, New Delhi, in August.

Macao: New policy launched for foreigners visiting zone

Permanent and nonpermanent residents from foreign countries in the Macao Special Administrative Region planning to visit the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin can now apply for a multiple-entry visa valid for up to five years.

The new policy, which took effect on Sept 1, was announced by Liu Xianfa, commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Macao SAR, on Aug 30.

Foreign visitors in Macao who want to attend exhibitions in Hengqin can apply for a multiple-entry visa valid for three months.

Guangzhou: High-end industrial parks get development priority

Guangzhou will give priority to developing 12 industrial parks along the Pearl River to help the riverside areas accommodate high-end industries in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Guangzhou municipal government said on Sept 2.

The parks, spanning eight districts in the Guangdong provincial capital, cover a total area of about 82 square kilometers. The industries include artificial intelligence, information technology, communication technology and finance.

Shenzhen: 18 measures unveiled to back VC investment

The Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone Authority and the Financial Services and Treasury Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region unveiled 18 measures on Sept 2 to support venture capital investment cooperation.

Hong Kong's venture capital institutions and other offshore entities will be allowed to have free trade accounts in the Qianhai zone, and Qianhai will support eligible investors under the Hong Kong Limited Partnership Funds regime in setting up qualified investment entities in the zone.

Zhuhai: Hengqin zone toasts success in first year

The first anniversary of the issuance of the Plan for the Development of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, which was on Monday, has seen the economic zone come through with flying colors.

The zone's GDP reached nearly 22.4 billion yuan ($3.23 billion) in the first half of this year. The value-added in the financial industry amounted to 8.2 billion yuan for the same period — up 11 percent.

The first fund product co-initiated by a Macao investor and Wise Road Capital was approved in the zone in March under the Qualified Foreign Limited Partnership program.

Foshan: Bill proposed to promote Guangdong cuisine

Foshan plans to further promote Guangdong cuisine with new rules for nurturing talents, maintaining heritage and promoting the industry's development.

A proposed legislative bill provides for the construction of a database about the "intangible cultural heritage" of Guangdong cuisine.

According to research, Foshan boasts 39 provincial and municipal-level training centers and workshops for training Guangdong cuisine chefs, with 32,000 chefs having "graduated" so far. However, the city's Guangdong cuisine business still faces problems like lack of talents, inadequate capital, a relatively weak training network, as well as an unsound rewards and evaluation system.

Huizhou: Measures to tap students' entrepreneurial zest

Huizhou has introduced new measures to encourage college and university students and graduates to carve out their entrepreneurial paths by taking up residence in its incubation center.

The demographics of entrepreneurial coaching and services will be expanded to cover youth whose entrepreneurial projects have "demonstrative and exemplary potential".

The new measures will also extend the range of pillar industries underpinning the incubation center. The additions include esports and livestreaming initiatives, and projects that can help advance poverty eradication and rural revitalization.

Dongguan: Battery industry's 'World Economic Forum' held

The 2022 Advanced Batteries for xEV/ESS Conference, dubbed the battery sector's "World Economic Forum", was held in Dongguan on Aug 30 and 31. Up to 28 flagship projects of the Dongguan Shuixiang Economic Development Zone were signed at the event. Total investments reached 16.7 billion yuan, with an estimated output value of 33.3 billion yuan.

The scale of Dongguan's lithium battery industry exceeds 50 billion yuan, and the city's output value of lithium batteries for consumer electronic products ranks second in the country. Some integrated new energy vehicle manufacturing companies, including Winnerway Motors, have also gone into operation.

Zhongshan: Enterprises get foreign affairs service station

Zhongshan's first foreign affairs service station for enterprises was established in Xiaolan town on Aug 31.

The station provides a regular onsite service counter to facilitate companies' applications under the APEC Business Travel Card Scheme, as well as other services for foreign workers.

Foreign affairs business guidelines, policies and information will also be available on the station's online media platforms, such as its WeChat official account, and at webinars.

Jiangmen: Cross-border RMB free trade pooling deal sealed

The Jiangmen branch of the Agricultural Bank of China has signed the city's first pact on two-way, cross-border renminbi pooling of free trade businesses.

The zero-to-one step deal helps to optimize cash management for multinational companies located in the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone and expand their financing channels.

Under the agreement, Juneway Electronics Technology Co, which has a branch in Taiwan, will get loans totaling 22 million yuan.

Zhaoqing: Metal processing revenue sees 34 percent growth

The total declared income of Zhaoqing's metal processing industry reached 48.7 billion yuan from January to July this year, according to the Guangdong Provincial Tax Service of the State Taxation Administration. The figure represents an almost 34 percent, year-on-year growth, reflecting the sector's strong development momentum.

Currently, Zhaoqing has more than 300 metal processing enterprises that are above the designated size, including some bellwether firms with a production value of more than 10 billion yuan, such as Hongwang Metal and Zhaoqing Asia Aluminum Factory.