Integration of Zhuhai, Hong Kong and Macao boosted in five years

Local officials say that Zhuhai, a coastal city on the western bank of the Pearl River in Guangdong province, plans to establish a bridge economic zone after the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge begins operations. They made the remarks on Thursday to a group of more than 40 media representatives during their visit to the city.

The group started a week-long tour on Tuesday to Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Foshan in order to revisit locations President Xi Jinping inspected five years ago when the bridge was still under construction.

Zhuhai's bridge economic zone will include the Hengqin Free Trade Zone, a bonded area and the Hongwan area. Details of new projects are expected to be provided in December.

Inno Valley HQ, an incubator in Hengqin, has attracted 123 startups established by talents from Hong Kong and Macao. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Meanwhile, the city also plans to build a Zhuhai-Hong Kong-Macao logistic cooperation zone of 800,000 square meters in a bid to better serve the frequent exchanges between the three centers.

Inno Valley HQ, a startup incubator in Hengqin, is an example of the closer relationship between Zhuhai and the two SARs. Since its founding in 2015, it has attracted 227 innovative projects, more than 60 percent of them from Hong Kong and Macao.

The cradle provides a variety of policies to support startup development, such as free offices, financial investment platforms and mentors.

Macao entrepreneur Vincent Chou said he got an office of 700 square meters for free in the first year, enabling him to save about 1.5 million yuan ($0.23 million).

He is also very glad that Inno Valley HQ adopts Macao's tax system for Macao residents, who can apply to pay tax in Macao.

More importantly, local talent resources are also an attraction. "I had a team of only 10 employees in the beginning and it has now grown to 116, mostly from the Chinese mainland," he recalled.

grace@chinadailyhk.com