Hong Kong

Training facility to boost BRI meteorological cooperation

A high-level meteorological training center for countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative was launched in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Dec 3 to strengthen climate resilience through capacity building and knowledge transfer.

Experts hailed the development as a milestone in enhancing the capabilities of meteorological BRI professionals, and fostering meteorological cooperation and development.

The Hong Kong Observatory also signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation with Fiji to promote collaboration and exchanges in aeronautical meteorological science and technologies.

Macao

Transport card links SAR with over 300 mainland cities

The Macao Special Administrative Region has issued a new transportation card - the Macao Pass-China T-Union - enabling users to use public transportation facilities in more than 300 cities on the Chinese mainland, as well as at 30,000 terminal consumption scenarios in Macao.

Launched on Dec 4, the card can be bought for 68 patacas ($8.50) each through various channels.

Public buses in Macao have also begun accepting cards with the China T-Union logo issued by the mainland and the HKSAR for paying fares. China T-Union, a transport card system launched by the Ministry of Transport, is widely used on the mainland.

Guangzhou

Record-breaking trade fair lifts agricultural innovation

The 21st China International Agricultural Trade Fair - the nation's largest and most influential event in agriculture and rural affairs - concluded in Guangzhou on Dec 1, and attracted a record 50,000 professional buyers, with trade agreements worth 23.6 billion yuan ($3.25 billion) signed.

The four-day fair, covered an exhibition area of 100,000 square meters, with nearly 3,000 companies from 15 countries displaying some 20,000 products.

Shenzhen

Global investment conference drew more than 400 projects

The 2024 Shenzhen Global Investment Promotion Conference was held at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center on Dec 6. Agreements on more than 400 projects were clinched, involving investments exceeding 900 billion yuan ($124 billion).

The projects covered fields like new energy, next-generation information technology, the low-altitude economy, intelligent-connected vehicles, biomedicine, and medical devices.

The conference attracted more participants from over 700 companies and institutions, including more than 200 Fortune Global 500 enterprises, from 35 countries and regions in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Zhuhai

19 key tech projects signed to upgrade industrial structure

As Zhuhai moves to attract foreign investment and upgrade its industrial structure, the Zhuhai National Hi-Tech Zone authorities and their partners recently held a signing ceremony for 19 key projects.

The projects, covering technological sectors, including semiconductors and integrated circuits, intelligent manufacturing, new energy, medical health, the smart power grid, and the low-altitude economy, are expected to bring investments worth over 1.1 billion yuan ($151.6 million) to Zhuhai, with a project output value surpassing 1.7 billion yuan.

Foshan

City has the most top 500 production firms in Guangdong

Foshan has supplanted Shenzhen in having most of the top 500 manufacturing enterprises in Guangdong province, hosting 102 such companies.

According to a list issued on Dec 3, the combined operating income of the top 500 companies had reached 5.32 trillion yuan ($733.4 billion) - down 4.9 percent year-on-year - while the total net profit of these enterprises was 333.93 billion yuan, an increase of 16.56 percent year-on-year.

As the nation's fourth-largest industrial city, Foshan's annual industrial output value exceeds 3 trillion yuan - following Shenzhen, Suzhou in Jiangsu province, and Shanghai.

Huizhou

Oil field project steps up offshore transformation

The Huizhou 26-6 oil field development project began production on Dec 2, becoming the first large-scale development project with oil and gas fields deeper than 4,000 meters in the South China Sea.

The project has the first intelligent offshore drilling production platform, with functions including intelligent production, intelligent drilling, equipment health management, intelligent security, and typhoon-proof production mode.

The facility has improved drilling speed by more than 20 percent, improving economic benefits and production efficiency. It will also support newly discovered oil and gas fields in the surrounding area.

Dongguan

New air transportation center to boost cross-border freight

A permanent air transportation center will be established in Dongguan to facilitate the transportation of international goods between Hong Kong International Airport and the Chinese mainland, according to an official of Airport Authority Hong Kong.

The center will be located in the comprehensive bonded zone of Humen Port, near the Dongguan-Hong Kong International Airport Logistics Park.

When fully operational, the center will enhance freight transport efficiency by one-third, while reducing freight service costs by half.

Zhongshan

Biotechnology cooperation with HK, Macao to be stepped up

The Zhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery (ZIDD) is deepening cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao universities in developing biotechnology.

Deputy Director Zuo Xiaoyuan said the institute appeals to universities in the two SARs due to its abundant scientific research resources and cost advantages.

ZIDD has established preliminary cooperation mechanisms with Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the University of Macau, and the Macau University of Science and Technology in carrying out research projects, training doctoral students, and sharing instruments and equipment.

Jiangmen

Huangmaohai Sea-Crossing Passage to unify GBA

The second cross-sea mega project in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, connecting Jiangmen and Zhuhai, officially opened on Dec 11.

Running between Pingsha, Zhuhai and Doushan, Jiangmen, the new 31-kilometer-long mega project includes a 14-kilometer-long bridge which has one service area and six lanes in either direction.

The new route will halve travel time between Jiangmen and Zhuhai from over an hour to about 30 minutes. The journey between Jiangmen and Hong Kong will be shortened to about 90 minutes.

Zhaoqing

Historical landmarks featured in heritage trail

Two of Zhaoqing's historical buildings have been included in the first cultural heritage-themed tourist trail of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Featuring 31 historic sites in the Greater Bay Area's 11-city cluster, the trail includes Zhaoqing's Deqing Academy and the Gaoyao Academy, which served as places for learning in ancient times. Reflecting cultural and educational developments in the region, the two buildings have significant historical and scientific research value.