Zhuhai Development & Reform Bureau recently reported that 10 major achievements have been made by the city in promoting the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) in 2021, the first year of China's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period:

The Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin was established after an overall development plan was released by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council in September 2021.

The Work Plan for Zhuhai to Become a Modernized and Internationalized Special Economic Zone in the New Era of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics came out in March 2021, outlining the city's development goals by 2025 and 2035.

The city's modern industrial system has been improving, with construction of major projects like the Gree Electric Appliances High-End Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park and Ninestar Laser Printer Hi-Tech Equipment & Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park in Jinwan and Aikosolar Energy's solar cell production line in Doumen are being promoted.

Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin

In terms of sci-tech innovation, construction of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai) in Tangjiawan has been completed after three years, while the GDAS Zhuhai Industrial Technology Research Institute started construction last year. The city's bio-pharmaceutical industrial cluster became a national project in 2021, while the scale of its integrated circuit design industry ranked second in the province. In addition, the number of local high-tech enterprises exceeded 2,100, and over 1,000 entrepreneurship projects from Hong Kong and Macao have settled in the city.

Construction of a national comprehensive transportation hub has been accelerated in Zhuhai. The Honghe Bridge, Hezhou-Gaolan Port Expressway, and Jinqin Express Road are now open to traffic, while the renovation and expansion of Zhuhai (Jinwan) Airport is progressing smoothly. Construction on the second-phase of the Yamen shipping lane and the Zhuhai-Zhaoqing High-speed Railway have also started.

In addition, Zhuhai has built a highly open economy. In 2021, the city's total import and export value was 332 billion yuan ($52.17 billion), increasing by 21.5 percent year-on-year. The number of newly established foreign-invested enterprises exceeded 2,500, attracting $2.7 billion in foreign investment. The 13th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (Airshow China) was successfully held from Sept 28 to Oct 3.

Bayi (August 1st) Aerobatic Team performs during Airshow China 2021 [Photos courtesy Zhuhai Media Group]

The Guangdong-Macao Cross-Border Financial Cooperation (Zhuhai) Demonstration Zone in Hengqin has attracted 33 Macao financial enterprises and service institutions. In addition, the cross-border wealth management platform was launched in October, with 18 banks participating in the pilot program.

Besides, the Zhuhai Talent Plan helped introduce nearly 30,000 talents in 2021, and a total of 260,000 talents in the last three years.

Measures were also taken to support the entrepreneurship and employment of Hong Kong and Macao youths in Zhuhai. In 2021, 59 construction enterprises and 308 related talents from Hong Kong and Macao were registered in Hengqin, while 589 tour guides received licenses to practice and 60 doctors were awarded a certificate of short-term practice. A total of 13.89 million yuan ($2.18 million) in entrepreneurship and employment subsidies was granted to Hong Kong and Macao youths, as well as 220 million yuan ($34.57 million) in loans for Macao-funded micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.

Sixty measures to facilitate the development of Hong Kong and Macao residents in Zhuhai were released in October, and the city has issued residence permits for 120,000 people by the end of 2021. The policy allowing Macao single-plate vehicles to enter Hengqin also came into operation last year.