INNO Valley HQ, the Macau-Hengqin Youth Entrepreneurship Valley, opened last Monday in the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) (Hengqin Area of Zhuhai). Concurrently, the Peking University Entrepreneurship Training Camp Hengqin Base launched there.
The platforms provide venture capital investment, incubator, business service and other top-grade resources and advanced support facilities for young people from the Chinese Mainland and Macao to start ventures there. The first 30 Macao-invested projects, 13 of which are Internet-related, seven of them cultural and creative, six hi-tech, three related to cross-border e-commerce, and one regarding training and education, settled in the valley that day.
Former Macao SAR Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau-wah and city Party Chief Li Jia were at the initiation ceremony. Peking University executive deputy president Wu Zhipan; Leong Vai Tac, secretary of economy and finance of Macao; and Mayor Jiang Ling delivered speeches.
Inno Valley HQ
Covering 128,000sqms with floor space of 137,000sqm, the 2 billion yuan ($323 million) valley encompasses business office, commerce, service and residence facilities. The first phase of 30,000sqm has been completed. Eligible are Macao dwellers aged 18 to 45 with permanent residence, or Chinese mainlanders or foreigners with Macao One-Way Permits.
In addition to the free workplace, the valley provides a complete communications network, public service, convention and business centres, exhibition hall and other facilities plus one-stop services combining personnel recruitment, industrial and commercial registration, taxation registration and bank account opening. It also helps services to access intermediaries such as accounting, auditing and taxation firms and management consulting, sci-tech consulting and assets appraisal companies.
The valley will establish a “support – tutor – fund” three-dimensional venture incubation platform to help businesses grow and endeavour to become a venture-start-up land of the “Internet+” idea in the Pearl River Delta, and an ideal home for entrepreneurship and innovation of youth from Macao and the Chinese Mainland. With goal of generating more than 100 entrepreneurship stars and over 1,000 creative companies by the year 2020, the valley is to accommodate key service objects including enterprises in the high-tech and biomedical fields after a one-year foundation, two-to-three-year development and four-year ripe period, according to a spokesperson.
The valley has received 166 letters of intent, along with 120 application forms to locate there.
The University of Macau and Macau University of Science & Technology have shown intent of branching out in the valley for venture-start-up training, tutoring and internship as well as exchanges of students in Zhuhai and Macao. Meanwhile, mainland universities including Peking and Sun Yet-sun will co-initiate entrepreneurship initiatives and recommend qualified two-area students to be incubated in the valley.
On the same day, the Youth Committee of the Macau Chamber of Commerce, Macau Youth Entrepreneur Association, Macau New Chinese Youth Association, Macau Youth Federation and other organisations signed framework agreements with Hengqin Financial Investment co ltd to co-establish a project recommendation mechanism.
PU Entrepreneurship Camp
On the other hand, Peking University Entrepreneurship Training Camp Hengqin Base, with floor space of 2,376sqm, will create a whole chain of venture-start-up education, tutor service, policy application, industrial service, essential incubation and angel investment. It will also help Hengqin become a demonstration centre of youth cooperation and entrepreneurship of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao-Taiwan in the Pearl River Delta, he pointed out.
Co-established by the Peking University Alumni Association and the municipal government, the camp relies upon educational advantages, research strength and alumni resources, and aims to become the country’s biggest non-profit open entrepreneurship education and support platform, the spokesperson noted.
The camp won the title of Zhongguancun State-Level Innovative Incubator in 2014, and it was the only one awarded the title of the Group Innovation Space (GIS) by Beijing and Tianjin authorities last March. Statistics show that the non-profit entrepreneurship class of the camp has benefitted nearly 100,000 young entrepreneurs.
A government official with Hengqin New Area revealed that the camp will provide tutors from Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, the Angel Fund, innovative incubators, policies and competitive industry resources to support youth from the four areas.
Industrial tycoons such as Yu Minhong, founder and chairman of New Oriental Education & Technology Group of Beijing; Shenzhen Green Pine Capital Partners co ltd (“GPCP”) founder Li Wei; and SAIF Partners chief partner Yan Yan, or authoritative sources like Peking University executive deputy president Wu Zhipan and renowned economist Hai Wen will be invited as tutors.
The camp will share the training, incubator and other resources with Inno Valley HQ, the government official stated.
A commencement of the camp took place with 120 entrepreneurs, one third of whom were from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
(ZD News)
Regions to show edges
THE 1st Pearl River West Bank Advanced Equipment Manufacturing Investment & Trade Fair, relying upon the industrial structure and advantages of Zhuhai, Foshan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Yangjiang and Zhaoqing cities and Shunde district of Foshan. It will showcase intelligent manufacturing, marine engineering, new-energy and energy conservation, rail transport, aviation and aerospace, and automobile manufacturing at 25,000sqm-exhibition area, will take place at the Zhuhai International Convention & Exhibition Centre on August 22-23, it was announced at a press conference in Guangzhou on Thursday.
Over 2,000 foreign and Chinese businesspeople are expected to attend the fair and major experts of the Made in China 2025 initiative and world-renowned equipment manufacture experts will be invited to make speeches.
The fair will encompass an agreement-signing ceremony for major projects, investment promotion, exhibition and industry exchange and will showcase achievements of equipment manufacturing on the Pearl River west bank. Eight sub-centres will be set up and industry-oriented investment promotions and two advanced equipment manufacturing exchanges will also be held in between, the organiser noted.
Under guidance of the Ministry of Industry & Information Technology and Guangdong Provincial Government and organised by the Guangdong Provincial Economic & Information Technology Commission and Zhuhai, the fair will be hosted by the governments of the six cities and the district with collaboration of Guangdong Department of Commerce.
The fair will house an integrated exhibition area, in which each of the cities and the district will have a booth displaying advanced equipment manufacturing, enterprises, products and environment; and a business display area showcasing intellectual manufacture, marine engineering, new-energy and energy conservation, rail transport, aviation and aerospace, and automobile manufacturing.
For example, highly characterised in aviation and aerospace, shipbuilding and marine engineering, Zhuhai will predominate in the showcase highlighting the theme with other cities and district support. With advantages in intelligent manufacturing, Foshan and Shunde will lead the exhibition of this subject. Meanwhile, Zhongshan will take charge of new energy and energy conservation, Jiangmen will mainly exhibit rail transport, and Zhaoqing and Foshan will team up in displaying automobile manufacturing.
Competitive edges
Zhuhai: centring on marine engineering, aviation and aerospace, transport and intelligent equipment manufacturing
Foshan: focusing on light machinery covering ceramics, electric, pressing, woodworking, plastics, spinning, glass, printing and packaging, metal processing, medical and other devices
Zhongshan: with priority on intelligent manufacturing, marine engineering, new energy, satellite application and Internet of Things, automobile and parts, photo electricity, health and medical apparatus, general and special-purpose equipment manufacturing
Jiangmen: boasting rail transport equipment, recycling economy and Yinzhou Lake Medium-Small Boat Base, and Taishan Clean Energy (Nuclear Power) Equipment Industrial Park
(ZD News)
Freight wharf modified
XIANGZHOU Freight Wharf off Central Lovers Avenue was closed last Tuesday. It will be turned into a new Xiangzhou Port highlighting the scallops-shaped Opera House and a world-class tourist harbour centring on a deluxe yacht club, according to an urban plan.
The port was established in 1979 for import of steel, cement, wood and other construction materials and export of fresh and live produce to Hong Kong, water and power to Macao, and sand, stone and mud to Macao for land reclamation.
In the meantime, the Gongbei Customs has terminated its 36-year supervision of Xiangzhou Port. The customs office, renovated from a shipping container there, had seen the port’s growth in examination and release of general trade imports and exports, to supervision and inspection, paperless customs clearance, intensive examination of documents, regional customs clearance integration and other reforms, improvement of efficiency, and fast growth of the business column at the dock until it became a State Category-2 Port Freight Wharf.
The customs office supervised 260 million tonnes of import and export cargos and levied taxation of 9 billion yuan ($1.45 billion) between 1990 and 2014. To help boost development of enterprises in the special economic zone, the office reduced and exempted $2.12 billion of freight value and 3.2 billion yuan ($516 million) of taxation between July 1998 and May 2015.
Moreover, the customs office supervised 26.85 billion kilowatt hours of power supply to Macao costing $2.57 billion from January 2003 to May 2015.
Compared to all other local ports, the 10,455sqm Xiangzhou Port customs office has the worst working conditions and simplest facilities without pedestrian channels and inspection platforms. Customs officers examined cargos in sun and rain, and the shipping container-revamped office is cold in winter and hot in summer.
Despite all, the wharf had great increase in business volume and customs clearance efficiency.
Chronicles
October 1978: Xiangzhou Port began to serve as a temporary import cargo unloading point for machinery, equipment and raw materials of the foreign-funded Xiangzhou Wool Spinning Factory with temporary customs officers’ supervision.
January 1980: Gongbei Customs set up a work team at Xiangzhou Port.
1994: It became Xiangzhou Freight Wharf.
October 1998: Confirmed by the provincial government and General Administration of Customs of the PRC to remain as a State Category-2 Port.
June 2015: Termination of foreign trade operation and customs office’s supervision.
(ZD News)
In brief
Pharma firms active
FIFTEEN local biomedicine enterprises took part in CPhI & BioPh China 2015 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre on June 24-26. It was reportedly the first presence of a biomedicine delegation from Zhuhai to the event and it was the only delegation from Guangdong.
Hosted by the China Chamber of Commerce of Medicines & Health Products Importers & Exporters and UBM Live, the event has grown from 6,200sqm to 140,000sqm in exhibition area and has become the premier pharmaceutical trading fair in Asia and the largest of nine CPhI global serial exhibitions. More than 2,800 exhibitors, including 250 internationally, and 45,000 business visitors, nearly 30 percent from overseas, attended.
CPhi China is known as the exciting trade show, fair and exhibition that copes with the topics of pharmaceutical ingredients, cosmetology, pharmacology, pharmacy and pharmaceutical and much more.
The Zhuhai delegation had display area of 278sqm with exhibitors such as Livzon Synthesis Pharmaceutical co ltd and United Laboratories, which led local exporters by harvesting orders of $41.2 million and $32.6 million respectively. Foreign business people mainly came from India, Pakistan, Spain, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Germany, Denmark, the UK, the US, Japan, Korea and Vietnam.
United Laboratories, having taken part in the expo for 15 successive years, was elected as the BPC (bulk pharmaceutical chemicals) Export Leading Enterprise and the CPhI BPC Production & Trading Gold Medal Exhibitor during the CPhI 15th anniversary industry selection.
In the meantime, Livzon Synthesis Pharmaceutical, also having been in the expo since the origin, showcased 26 bulk pharmaceutical chemicals of three categories. Its ceftriaxone sodium occupies 50 percent of the world’s market share.
BP Chemical grows
BP Zhuhai Chemical third phase came into operation on Thursday with annual capacity of 1.25 million tonnes, increasing its total to 2.7 million tonnes a year. By further expanding its market share in China and competitiveness, BP Zhuhai is to become the largest PTA manufacturer internationally by the end of 2017.
Compared to traditional technologies, the third phase uses advanced PTA technologies that are more efficient with 40 percent less energy consumption, 65 percent less greenhouse gas emission, and 95 percent less solid waste and 75 percent less wastewater discharge. The heat generated can provide power to 3,500 households.
Mayor Jiang Ling was at the initiation ceremony and Gaolan Port Economic Zone Party Chief Zhao Jianguo extended congratulations to the operation of the third phase and expressed gratitude to BP Group’s contribution to economic growth of the city on behalf of the municipal CPC Committee and government. As a result of the cooperation between the city government and BP Group, the significant achievement will further boost the modern harbour industry development in the area, he said.
TCM going global
TRADITIONAL medicine experts from the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique and elsewhere, plus representatives of outstanding traditional medicine enterprises from Guangdong and Macao attended the forum on Guangdong-Macao Cooperation of the Chinese Traditional Medicine Scientific & Industrial Park 2015 in the World Trade Centre Macao last Tuesday.
The International Exchange & Cooperation Centre of the Industrial Park was inaugurated at the same time.
Ten foreign and Chinese experts delivered speeches to the audience of 150 concerning industrial development of traditional medicine, market demand of Portuguese-speaking countries, personnel training and others during the forum.
The Industrial Park signed strategic partnership memorandums with Portugal’s Institute of Traditional Medicine (IMT) and the Brazil-China Culture Exchange Chamber, and signed a corporate partnership memo with Purapharm International (HK) ltd. IMT will establish an international exchange and cooperation centre within the park to promote Chinese medicine in the European market.
Frederico Carvalho, training and qualification director at IMT, was quoted by the Macau Daily Times as saying that Portugal was the first European country to have enforced regulation of seven Chinese medicine therapies. He expressed belief that Macao was an ideal location from which to open the European market to Chinese investors, given its role as a platform for Portuguese-speaking countries.
Zhuhai
Business