For the Chamber’s first outbound mission since the pandemic began three years ago, a delegation of 35 members visited Nansha on 30-31 March, led by China Committee Chairman Eric Fok, GBA Working Group Convenor Petrina Tam, and YEC Chairman Olivia Kung.
Located in the heart of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the Pearl River Delta, Nansha is an administrative district in Guangzhou that lies within 100km of nine cities and five international airports within the Pearl River Delta. By high-speed rail, Nansha’s Qingsheng Station is just a 35-minute journey from West Kowloon Station in Hong Kong. Once the Guangzhou-Zhongshan-Zhuhai-Macao high-speed railway becomes operational, Nansha will enjoy direct access to Hong Kong and Macao.
According to Tam, Nansha promises rapid growth in scientific research and economy. “For example, Pony.ai Guangzhou has been testing autonomous vehicles in Nansha, while the district is also home to the largest chip fabrication plant in China. I am sure Nansha has a bright future,” she said, adding that it is ideal for Hong Kong businesses looking to expand, while also helping develop the district into an international destination.
Leveraging on its foundation in scientific research and development, Nansha will enhance cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in technology and innovation, establish a major technology and innovation platform, as well as promote the development of the high-tech sector, according to the Nansha Plan announced by the State Council in June 2022.
To support the development of high-tech industries and to attract talent from Hong Kong and Macao, the Nansha Government plans to implement corresponding financial policies. For example, enterprises engaged in certain sectors in the pilot area will enjoy a reduced enterprise income tax rate of 15%, while Hong Kong and Macao residents working in Nansha will be exempt from paying individual income tax in excess of their corresponding tax burden in Hong Kong and Macao.
While experiencing robust economic growth, Nansha is seeking to collaborate with GBA cities to create a “quality living circle” for living, working and travelling. During a visit to the Nansha Bay project site, Fok introduced to members the overall development plan of Nansha Bay and the history of Nansha Marina, of which he is a representative.
Nansha Marina is an integral part of Nansha Bay’s development, said Fok, explaining that the project could help train more medal-winning Chinese windsurfers while strengthening Nansha’s central role as a connector for Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao.
To encourage more Hong Kong professionals to live and work in the GBA, Nansha has been proactively building a Hong Kong community with an array of projects featuring Hong Kong investment. Among them is a TOD integrated complex at the Qingsheng transport hub by Sun Hung Kai Properties. The megastructure is the first Guangdong-Hong Kong joint construction project, as well as the first pilot programme that adopts a Hong Kong-style construction management model.
Chamber members also visited Gold General Outpatient Clinic, the first wholly Hong Kong-owned medical institution in Nansha. Felix Lee, one of the Chamber delegates and Co-CEO of the GBA Healthcare Group, said the aim is to nurture more healthcare professionals so that GBA residents can have access to the same quality of primary healthcare services that Hong Kong enjoys. This, he said, would help realise the integration of healthcare systems in Hong Kong and the Mainland in the long term.
Other destinations the delegation visited included Minxin Hong Kong School, which provides children of Hong Kong residents with quality “through-train” education and boarding services, and Kingbridge Sun Kuong Law Firm, the first Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao law firm operating in the form of a partnership association in Guangzhou.
Stanley Chan, a partner of the law firm who was among the visiting delegates, said he hoped to offer GBA citizens with top legal services and to create a one-stop cross-boundary legal services platform in GBA.
During the trip, delegates also took part in two networking events – a luncheon with local entrepreneurs hosted by Liu Zewu, Deputy Director of CCPIT Guangzhou, Ma Jiehong, Deputy District Mayor of the Nansha District Government, and Qiu Haibin, Director of CCPIT Nansha; and a seminar on Guangzhou-Hong Kong business cooperation, co-hosted by Yu Jianchun, Vice Chairman of Guangzhou Federation of Industry and Commerce, and Ruan Xiaohong, a member of the Standing Committee of Nansha District.
The mission included excursions to Pony.ai Guangzhou, Nansha Mingzhuwan Guihua Exhibition Hall, Guangzhou CanSemi Technology Inc., Guangdong Medical Valley, New Youth Talent Apartment in Hong Kong and Macao, Consultative Committee on Guangdong-Hong Kong Co-operation (Guangzhou Nansha) Display Hall and Service Center, and Innovation Bay.