Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng has made three suggestions when concluding the third meeting of the Administrative Committee of the Guangdong-Macau Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin island, according to a statement released by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) on Saturday.
At the meeting on Friday, the Administrative Committee reviewed a number of important documents, i.e., a work report, a budget proposal, and an investment plan. The meeting also discussed deployment regarding the next phase of work.
The meeting was jointly chaired by the Administrative Committee’s two directors: Ho and Guangdong Governor Wang Weizhong.
In his speech, Ho said that Guangdong and Macau will continue to work closely to promote orderly advances in work put forward respectively by the zone’s Administrative Committee and the Executive Committee, adding that the zone’s development effort has begun well. Everyone should maintain their confidence in the creation of a better future through the zone, he said.
Ho called on the Executive Committee to work hard to realise goals discussed at Friday’s meeting. The committee will provide its strong support – in accordance with the respective functions and assigned tasks of the various bodies – in order to achieve its envisaged objectives, the statement quoted Ho as saying.
Ho made three suggestions as he concluded the meeting.
The first is to stay true to the zone’s original mission and promote its steady development. As President Xi Jinping has reiterated on several occasions, the original mission of developing Hengqin is to facilitate Macau’s adequate economic diversification, Ho said.
The chief executive also detailed his insights into attracting investments and importing talented human resources.
Regarding the attraction of investment, Ho said that more work should be done to boost Macau’s development and to strengthen the integration of Hengqin and Macau. Investment in the zone should be focused on the four major industries planned there, Ho said, adding that efforts should also be made to ensure that major projects to be based in the zone meet the requirements of its Master Plan. Importing talented human resources should also align with the needs of the four major targeted industries and be done with a market-orientated approach, he said.
The second suggestion shared by the Chief Executive was to take on responsibly and courageously promote the integration of regulations and mechanisms, and to do so in a pragmatic and efficient way.
Ho underlined that in the first half of this year, two tax incentive policies, i.e., regarding personal income tax and corporate income tax – have been put in place. They have been effective in terms of attracting talented human resources to the zone, Ho pointed out, By the end of this year, further efforts should be made to advance the zone’s special regulatory system, as well as to promote coordinated development planning, and development of financial services.
The third suggestion that Ho made is to comply strictly with the requirements for collective efforts set out in the new development system, as well as to complement respective strengths in order to increase efficiency in decision-making.
According to Ho, mutual discussion, joint construction, joint administration and shared benefits is a new model for cooperation not only for the zone but also under the framework of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle. The four elements are the zone’s major advantage, Ho said, adding that advances relating to the development of enterprises are key to the idea of “joint construction and shared benefits”. It’s therefore important, Ho stressed, to speed up relevant progress and to implement in an orderly way the introduction of the four major targeted industries: scientific and technological research and high-end manufacturing, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM); cultural tourism, conventions and exhibitions (MICE); commercial and trade industries; and financial services.
Addressing in the meeting, Governor Wang said the zone has seen pragmatic and progressive efforts applied in the year since it was officially launched. Guangdong and Macau should bear in mind the instructions of President Xi, in order to ensure that the zone develops in the direction pointed to by the President.
According to the statement, Wang underlined the need to review the Master Plan with a view to further integrate Hengqin and Macau. The aim is, Wang said, to embrace high-quality opening-up, and reach a higher level of market-access system. More work should be done to accelerate development of an investment entity for the zone, in a bid to attract major enterprises and large projects to set up a base in the zone, encompassing integrated circuit technology; TCM; and new energy and new materials; as well as fields relating to the four major targeted industries.
Wang said it’s necessary to speed up construction of major projects in the zone; accelerate construction of customs inspection facilities for “second-tier” tariff channels; and promote work for an extension line to the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Intercity Railway and for a high-speed rail connection to the Guangdong-Zhuhai-Macau high-speed rail project. Moreover, the governor said, it’s also necessary to make good use of systems concerning delegation of powers and special relaxed measures regarding market access. The zone is striving to implement further favourable policies, Wang said, adding that all these efforts aim to develop the zone into a new part of the Macao community, with convenient conditions to live and work there/
During Friday’s meeting, Macau’s Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong, who chairs the zone’s Executive Committee, reported on the work done so far this year. The meeting also passed the 2022 budget proposal for the zone and the 2022 investment plan from the Executive Committee, and it also discussed issues relating to the sale of state land lot No. 2021-01, i.e., the integrated logistics centre in Hengqin.
Macau SAR Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng addresses the third meeting of the Administrative Committee of the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin on Friday. – Photo: GCS
Guangdong Governor Wang Weizhong delivers a speech at the third meeting of the Administrative Committee of the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin on Friday. – Photo: GCS
