Considerable progress has been made by Zhuhai in strengthening cooperation with Macao, adding transportation infrastructure, and advancing sci-tech innovation since an outline development plan for the Greater Bay Area was released on Feb 18 last year.

A bridgehead for cooperation, Hengqin New Area became home to 2,064 Macao-funded enterprises by December -- up 152 percent year-on-year from 2018. Twenty-seven are financial enterprises, bringing in registered capital of 11.91 billion yuan ($1.7 billion).

Also in Hengqin, 28 projects had signed up to locate in Guangdong-Macao Cooperation Industrial Park. And, 162 companies, of which 61 are Macao-invested, had registered at the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Science & Technology Industrial Park of Cooperation Between Guangdong & Macao. Scientific research headquarters, R&D, and test buildings at the TCM park were put into use.

As businesses faced burdens of the recent epidemic outbreak, Hengqin issued 10 supportive measures related to rent, social insurance, taxes, loans, and business services on Feb 5. A hotline was also opened by the General Union of Neighborhood Associations of Macao's Hengqin center on Feb 16 to answer questions related to epidemic prevention and control.

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge [Photo provided by Zhang Youqiong to China Daily]

In terms of infrastructure, the new Hengqin Checkpoint became eligible for border crossings this year. The major structure of the auxiliary Qingmao Checkpoint in Gongbei has been topped off as construction is to be completed before year's end with a designed daily passenger volume of 200,000. The temporary Wanzai Checkpoint reopened with ferry runs beginning Jan 23.

Meanwhile, a comprehensive transportation system centered on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has taken form. As a key part of it, a land acquisition and demolition agreement concerning the Huangmao Sea Channel Bridge was signed on Feb 17. Projects such as the Zhuhai-Macao high-speed railway hub and Guangzhou-Zhuhai-Macao high-speed railway have also been advanced.

On the sci-tech front, Zhuhai has been fostering strategic emerging industries including new-generation information technology, high-end equipment manufacture, biomedicine, digital economy, new energy, new materials, and marine economy over the past year.

The environment for entrepreneurship and investment now offers more application scenarios and market opportunities for new products and technologies and innovative enterprises. The TCM park, for instance, was named a National TCM Service Export Base on Jan 4, while the University of Macao and Macao University of Science & Technology also established industrial-academic-research bases in Hengqin.

Of additional note is that local hi-tech forces throughout the city are proactive in the ongoing virus battle. Five types of corona virus rapid test kits developed by Livzon Pharmaceutical Group in Jinwan have undergone emergency examinations and approvals with the National Medical Products Administration, and Ziyan UAV in the National Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone (Tangjiawan) has also sent seven unmanned aerial vehicles for frontline supply delivery in Wuhan.