Today, Guangzhou delegation held “2017 Guangzhou ‘Fortune’ Global Forum Promotion Meeting” in Hong Kong, “Fortune” world’s top 500 enterprise representatives of Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Asia-Pacific region set “free trade and open innovation” as the theme, dialogue to explore the cooperation between Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao in various fields.

This year is the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return, during the 20 years, Guangzhou and Hong Kong cooperation has achieved fruitful results. At present, Guangzhou is practicing concept of innovation, coordination, green, open and sharing development, and builds hub network city, international shipping hub, international aviation hub and international scientific and technological innovation hub, strives to enhance global resource allocation ability and become an opening and innovation window to the outside world. Hong Kong is one of the world’s largest trading ports, Macau is one of the world’s most open trade and investment economies, the two regions are rich in history and resources accumulation. Guangzhou is looking forward to build the world-class urban agglomeration of the Pearl River Delta by promoting cooperation between Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau, to become an influential global resource allocation center.

Digital

According to reports, Hong Kong is the largest export destination and the fourth largest trading partner of Guangzhou. According to the Guangzhou Municipal Commission of Commerce statistics, as of the end of 2016, Hong Kong’s direct investment enterprises in Guangzhou has accumulated a total of 19215, accumulated contracted foreign capital is $ 86.8 billion, accumulated actual foreign capital 49.39 billion US dollars. Guangzhou enterprises accumulated investment in the establishment of 572 enterprises (institutions) in Hong Kong, the cumulative Chinese side investment agreement is $9.33 billion. In 2016, Guangzhou and Hong Kong total imports and exports amounted to 99.68 billion yuan, the results are considerable. As of December 2016, Guangzhou enterprises had set up a total of 27 enterprises (institutions) in Guangzhou, a total investment of $176 million, and the Chinese side investment is $175 million.

Tourism Cooperation

Introduce high quality good faith Hong Kong tour “Red List” to promote the Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao yacht independent travel.

With the signing of the “Guangzhou-Hong Kong Tourism Cooperation Framework Agreement”, in 2016, the two sides have made great progress in tourism cooperation. From January to September in 2016, Guangzhou received 291.68 million Hong Kong visitors staying overnight, an increase of 7.54%.

Before the 2016 Spring Festival, Guangzhou-Hong Kong “high-quality Good Faith Hong Kong tour” travel agency “Red List” announced in Guangzhou, the list includes CGZL, Guangdong CTS, South Lake CITS and other 32 travel agencies in Guangzhou, as well as Yizhong International, Elephant, Home Hong Kong Travel Agency and other 97 Hong Kong travel agencies. This “High Quality Good Faith Hong Kong Tour ‘Red List’” is an important part of the three agreements, such as the “Guangzhou-Hong Kong Tourism Cooperation Framework Agreement” and other three agreements. The “Red List” is updated every six months, and the enterprises that violate the commitments will be eliminated. In September 2016, both Guangzhou and Hong Kong announced to the community the latest “Red List” in the second half of the year. At present, there are 39 listed in red listed travel agency (including one eliminated and 8 increased) in Guangzhou, Hong Kong is included in the red list travel agency for 125.

In addition to the normal tourism cooperation, Guangzhou is also actively promoted to Hong Kong, such as Guangzhou key cultural tourism and entertainment project “Boat Said” to drive more Hong Kong and Macao compatriots to Guangzhou “to see the story of Guangzhou, listen to the Red Boat legend" to further deepen exchanges and cooperation of the regional culture, commerce and tourism activities, Guangzhou promotion group held “Watch ‘Boat Said’ ·Tour Guangzhou” promotion in June 2016 in Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s tourism industry has also expressed interest in the “Boat Said” project, and plans to further study the development of “Guangzhou Cantonese Opera One-day Tour” products, organizes more Hong Kong tourists to travel to Guangzhou.

Next, the two sides also plan to promote the Guangzhou-Hong Kong and Macao yacht independent travel, in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao cooperation framework agreement, the Nansha Yacht will be pilot to promote the Guangzhou-Hong Kong and Macao yacht independent travel. Actively cooperate with the port, the maritime sector to the state and provincial departments for policy, opening the first pilot in the yacht and personnel entry-exit management, customs inspection facilities, yacht routes and yacht activities open waters and other aspects.

Economic Cooperation

Nearly a thousand Hong Kong and Macao enterprises settled in Nansha, the total investment is nearly $15 billion

If the cooperation between Hong Kong and Macao is drawing a full vision blueprint, then Nansha is like the “finishing touch”, especially Guangzhou put forward to build China’s new high ground of opening up to dock Nansha New District, with international rules for purpose, as National New District and Free Trade Zone, naturally bear an important platform role in the establishment of the economic cooperation mechanism between the Hong Kong and Macao.

Nansha is one of the earliest regions in the Pearl River Delta to cooperate with Hong Kong and Macao, and has good cooperation basis and conditions. Since the late 1980s, Hong Kong Huo Yingdong Group has invested Nansha Hotel, Passenger Port, Information Technology Park, Yingdong Middle School, Exhibition Center, World Trade Center, golf course and a number of projects in Nansha.

With Nansha becoming a national new area, the national free trade pilot area, as well as national independent innovation demonstration area, Nansha also take responsibility to become the gateway to the opening of the Guangdong, Guangzhou,, and Guangzhou deputy center. In the promotion of cooperation between Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao, as of December 2016, a total of 952 Hong Kong and Macao investment enterprises settled in Nansha, with a total investment of about $14.824 billion, mainly related to shipping logistics, finance, scientific and technological innovation and other fields.

HK for Ying Tung Research Institute has undertaken 407 scientific research projects in total, the cumulative amount is about 174 million yuan; Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance and the “Guangdong and Hong Kong sister school” was established, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao (International) youth innovation workshop provides 7 × 24 hours service model for the entrepreneurial team, to attract young entrepreneurs in Hong Kong and the Mainland in Nansha gathered innovation and entrepreneurship; the Nansha Information Technology Park build by Guangdong and Hong Kong has a total planning area of 430,000 square meters, and it has been built 200,000 square meters, hatching more than 30 enterprises including Jingke Electronics; it smoothly implement the Nansha Free Trade Area Guangdong and Hong Kong electronic check first issue business; “Guangdong and Hong Kong cross-border warehouse” has promoted replication in the province, innovation CEPA food inspection and supervision mode, Nansha Yacht Club Phase I has been completed, it is the first yacht club in the Mainland awarded the “Hardware Anchor Award” by the British Yacht Terminal Association; the first Guangdong and Hong Kong joint venture law firm in Guangzhou has accepted more than 30 cases of international commercial arbitration, the subject matter of the dispute is 540 million yuan. Guangdong Province has been pilot to carry out the nine “one test three certificates” projects, they have all settled in Nansha, which pilot with Hong Kong to carry out six professional jobs, and Macao to carry out three professional jobs.

In the area of institutional innovation, Nansha opened the commercial service “Hong Kong Link”, first extend the Mainland commercial services to Hong Kong. It approved the establishment of the Free Trade Zone Prosecutor’s Office, and first implemented the Hong Kong and Macao people jury trial cases in the country, established the Hong Kong and Macao case industry associations prior mediation mechanism to improve the judicial security system.

Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao Cooperation

Nansha tends to lead Hong Kong and Macao high-end industrial innovation resources gathering to promote the cooperation between Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao.

Today, Guangzhou proposed to create an influential global resource allocation center. Near Hong Kong and Macao, backed by the Pearl River Delta, docking “One Belt One Road” initiative, all the location advantages of Guangzhou are favorable conditions to build a global resource allocation center.

Among them, Guangzhou via Hong Kong and Macao to create the Pearl River Delta World-class urban agglomeration, formed a joint force to participate in the global resource allocation for the global enterprises to provide more open, convenient, inclusive, and international business environment, is naturally an integral part of global resource allocation center.

This year is the 20th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao cooperation is also an important part of “13th Five-Year Plan” development. For the future, in addition to the formation of good cooperation channels, ways and platform, but also with the “One Belt One Road”, Guangdong Free Trade Experimental Zone Nansha Area and other advantages of policy overlay, the three places will stand on the new starting point and height of global resource allocation center to usher in new development opportunities.

Especially for Nansha, in the future development and construction, Nansha will be more active with Hong Kong and Macao to carry out all-round cooperation. According to reports, Nansha will focus on attracting Hong Kong and Macao and international high-end industrial resources, innovative resources gathered in Nansha, dock international investment and trade rules with high standards, to create high-level opening of the Guangzhou portal. We are committed to strengthening the cooperation between Hong Kong and Macao in the fields of information technology, professional services, financial and financial background services, shipping logistics services, R & D and transformation of scientific and technological achievements, international education and training, business services, leisure and tourism and health services through the Guangdong-Shenzhen depth cooperation zone, to promote two-way free flow of personnel, capital, information and other service elements, and form a new pattern of cooperation between Hong Kong and Macao.

Source: Translated from Invest Guangzhou, Feb. 27, 2017