On February 8, the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin announced the implementation of closed customs control in its “second-tier” zone, which aims to facilitate the movement of people, goods, capital, and information between Macao and Hengqin. This measure will take effect on Friday (March 1).
“After Hengqin implements the special customs operations, the tax on the equipment we import is likely to be reduced by a great deal,” Prof. Chen Guokai, interim director of the Zhuhai UM Science & Technology Research Institute, told GDToday recently in an exclusive interview. “In this way, we can have more money to do experiments,” he said.
Prof. Chen also mentioned that the development of the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin has made their travel between Hengqin and Macao much easier. “It used to take us about half an hour to get to Hengqin from the University of Macau (UM). Now it takes us about three minutes to get to the Hengqin Port, and then pass through the port [checkpoint] within three minutes,” he explained.
“Such convenient measures help lay a cornerstone for attracting international talent from Macao to Hengqin in the future.”
Established in Hengqin, the Zhuhai UM Science & Technology Research Institute (ZUMRI) is UM’s first industry-university-research demonstration facility based in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). The institute works to carry out scientific research and promote the industrialization of sci-tech achievements in Hengqin to empower the adjustment and upgrading of the industrial structure.
When it comes to the integration of talent from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, Prof. Chen stressed that favorable platforms and proper projects with good support are indispensable. “I think Guangdong has done quite well in this field,” he noted.
Prof. Chen pointed out that ZUMRI has developed a new model of joint R&D by establishing joint laboratories with enterprises in the past few years. “In the past two years, we have set up 10 joint laboratories, attracting companies based in Nanjing, Guangdong and Guangxi to Hengqin to conduct R&D together,” he said.
“We select some feasible projects every year. Those projects need to have investment from enterprises, and support from the government. And they should have Macao elements, so that we can attract more Macao talents to contribute to the Greater Bay Area,” Chen added.
Courtesy of GDToday (minor edits by The Macau Post Daily)
Poster courtesy of GDToday/Lulu
