Hong Kong: New plans for bourse under bad weather to take effect

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, which runs the city’s bourse, will enforce new arrangements from Sept 23 to allow the city’s securities and derivatives markets to stay open and provide trading, clearing and settlement services under severe weather conditions.

Mofiz Chan, chairman of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professionals Association, said HKEX had carried out tests emulating operations during adverse weather, and the entire process was smooth. The financial industry, he said, is generally ready for the new arrangements.

HKEX, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, had completed consultations with the industry earlier this year on the feasibility of implementing the new plans before making its decision.

Macao: Casino revenues exceed market projections

The gaming industry in Macao saw its revenues surpass 19.5 billion patacas ($2.43 billion) last month — a 14.8 percent year-on-year growth and above market expectations of 13.2 percent.

The figure also showed 6.2 percent growth over that for July, as well as an almost 80 percent recovery, compared with August 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the first eight months of 2024, the city’s gaming business had grossed 152.1 billion patacas — a year-on-year increase of 33.4 percent.

Guangzhou: Cybersecurity products shine at high-quality fair

A premium-standard cybersecurity services fair ended in Guangdong’s provincial capital, Guangzhou, on Thursday.

The event featured exhibitions showcasing the latest cybersecurity applications, innovation achievements and the development of cybersecurity in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as talent training, publicity and education.

A highlight of the 2024 China Cybersecurity Week, the fair was also aimed at facilitating exchanges among service providers and consumers, with an array of on-site sessions and contract signing ceremonies.

Shenzhen: New cross-border bus service hits the road

A new cross-border bus route linking Shenzhen with Hong Kong entered service on Tuesday to cope with increased travel between the two cities.

The 70-kilometer Eternal East Bus route runs between Shenzhen’s Longgang Wanda Plaza and various destinations in Hong Kong, including Sha Tin, Tsim Sha Tsui, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and Hong Kong International Airport.

Buses from Shenzhen’s Wanda Plaza to Hong Kong operate from 7 am to 8:30 pm every day with departures every two hours. Buses leaving Hong Kong for the Shenzhen plaza leave at different times, according to the pickup point, with Yau Ma Tei starting the earliest at 8:45 am.

Ticket prices vary according to the distance traveled, with a one-way ticket costing at least 35 yuan ($5).

Zhuhai: Qingmao Port sees 67m passenger trips in 3 years

More than 67 million cross-border passenger trips have been recorded at Qingmao Port since its opening on Sept 8, 2021.

The port, which links Zhuhai with Macao, has become an important channel in realizing the “one-hour living circle” in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area by providing efficient customs clearance, convenience for cross-border students and smart customs supervision. Qingmao is one of the nation’s most “intelligent” ports, with e-channels making up 90 percent of inspection channels.

Foshan: Innovative competition to drive manufacturing

Foshan is enhancing the transfer and transformation of patent achievements to develop its manufacturing sector.

The second edition of the high-value patent achievements transfer and transformation competition started earlier this month, involving more than 430 projects of universities, research institutes and enterprises from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.

The contest, which runs through January, is geared to raising the innovative development of Foshan’s manufacturing industry, with intellectual property achievements shown at the event.

Huizhou: Foreign trade reaches record high in first 7 months

Huizhou’s foreign trade recorded a new high in the first seven months of this year, reaching 222.4 billion yuan ($31.24 billion) — a year-on-year increase of 20.8 percent — according to the customs authorities.

Imports and exports saw historical highs, with the former growing 42.9 percent on a yearly basis to 97.5 billion yuan, and the latter up 7.8 percent at 124.9 billion yuan.

Exports of mechanical and electronic products did well, accounting for 76.3 percent of the city’s total export value from January through July. Remarkable growth was seen in exports of home appliances, electronic components and computers, as well as spare parts.

Dongguan: HKIA logistics park meets annual target ahead of time

Hong Kong International Airport Dongguan Logistics Park has handled imports and exports valued at 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) so far this year, attaining its annual goal more than two months ahead of schedule.

The air-sea intermodal logistics park, which started operation last year, is designed to provide a fast channel for overseas-bound Chinese mainland freight through HKIA.

Security screening, palletization and acceptance of mainland cargo can be done in advance at the park before being shipped to HKIA by sea and flown abroad. Cargos imported into the mainland through HKIA can also be handled in this way.

At present, the park is capable of handling 738 types of import and export commodities.

Zhongshan: Smart lock cluster ranks among nation’s top 100

The smart lock industry cluster in Zhongshan’s Xiaolan town has been included in the country’s top 100 specialty industry clusters of small and medium-sized enterprises, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

It’s a first for the sector in Zhongshan, one of eight industry clusters in Guangdong province that have made the list this year.

With 89 registered enterprises, the smart lock industry cluster in Xiaolan produces 1.8 million sets of smart locks annually, with the sector’s total output value reaching almost 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion).

Jiangmen: Delta cities join forces on real estate deals

Four cities in the western Pearl River Delta have agreed to cooperate on real estate registrations to deepen integration among cities in Guangdong province.

People in Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Yangjiang who intend to buy or sell properties in any of the four cities can register in their home city.

The service is aimed at making it more convenient for people working and living in various cities of Guangdong.

Zhaoqing: City has big plans for low-altitude economy

Zhaoqing plans to bolster its low-altitude economy, which refers to economic activities within airspace of less than 3,000 meters above ground.

The city issued a plan outlining eight key measures to promote the economy, including building industrial parks for enterprises and strengthening the development capacity of low-altitude aviation technologies.

The city expects to build a comprehensive industrial cluster integrating research and development, manufacturing, testing and application, and create an ecosystem for the low-altitude economy by 2026.