Hong Kong: Restaurant revenues in first quarter highest in 3 years

Revenues of Hong Kong restaurants in the first quarter reached HK$27.56 billion ($3.51 billion), the highest level in three years. The 82 percent year-on-year increase can be attributed to various factors, including the Happy Hong Kong campaign, the issuance of consumer vouchers, and the return of visitors to the city after the lifting of anti-pandemic curbs.

Furthermore, retail sales in the first quarter of the year increased by 24 percent year-on-year, surpassing HK$30 billion monthly for four consecutive months from December to March. Private consumption expenditures grew 12.5 percent year-on-year, while the output of services increased by 16.9 percent, and fixed investment were up 5.8 percent.

Macao: Internship opportunities offered to Macao youths

Three youth internship programs jointly launched by the Macao SAR government and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin recently began accepting applications, with the aim to offer richer youth development opportunities and boost diversified economic development.

One of the programs offers 15 internships in high-tech industries, including scientific research management, industrial manufacturing, and quality management at Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals Corp and electric-vehicle manufacturer Nio Inc’s Shanghai office. The other two programs provide 60 internships in cities that include Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Qingdao, and Ji’an, covering diverse areas such as cultural and tourism operations, exhibition management, and branding business.

Guangzhou: Most popular destination in May Day holiday 

Guangzhou emerged as the most popular destination in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area during the May Day holiday, attracting 10.58 million visitors, a 54 percent increase from the previous year.

During the holiday, the city’s total revenue of cultural and tourism consumption reached nearly 10.4 billion yuan ($1.50 billion), a 58 percent year-on-year increase. The number of visitors and revenue even surpassed the same period in 2019, with increases of 9 percent and 13 percent respectively.

Key retail enterprises also saw a boost in sales, with supermarkets, department stores, specialty shops, and e-commerce companies generating 4.6 billion yuan, up 64.9 percent year-on-year.

Shenzhen: Measures to attract young talents from the SARs

Shenzhen has started implementing measures targeting Hong Kong and Macao youths to support them work and set up businesses in the city, and integrate into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

According to a government document jointly formulated by Shenzhen’s human resources and social security, fiscal, tax departments, as well as Hong Kong and Macao affairs offices in the city, various subsidies will be offered to Hong Kong and Macao youths working in the city.

Those who set up businesses in Shenzhen will also be provided with subsidies for social insurance, office leasing, employment, loans, and incubation.

Zhuhai: Ten Hengqin enterprises attend Job Fair 2023 

The Livelihood Affairs Bureau of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin organized 10 enterprises to participate in Job Fair 2023 which was jointly held by the Federation of Macao Trade Unions and the Labor Affairs Bureau at the Macao Tower on May 5 and 6.

The established companies provided over 200 positions such as researchers, engineers, purchasing managers and sales managers, covering the science and technology, finance, cultural tourism and exhibition industries.

This event marks the first time since the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions that Hengqin enterprises organized by the Livelihood Affairs Bureau attended a large-scale in-person employment activity in Macao.

Jiangmen: Agreement to promote development of legal work

Jiangmen and Macao signed a framework agreement on legal services in a move to promote high-quality development of legal work in both cities. 

According to the agreement, the two cities will explore the possibility of setting up a talent pool for mediating disputes between the two sides. 

Efforts will also be made to carry out the exchange of legal services and to allow professionals from Macao to participate in dispute mediation involving overseas Chinese in Jiangmen and in consulting work. The aim is to strengthen communication between legal services practitioners from the two cities and promote greater cooperation in the legal field. 

Zhongshan: Zhongshan’s market entities top 600,000

The total number of market entities in Zhongshan reached 602,296 as of April, representing a year-on-year increase of 11.95 percent that the city’s market regulatory authority attributed to “sustained efforts in optimizing the business environment to boost market vitality”.

From 300,000 to 600,000 market entities, each increase of 100,000 took 40 months, 26 months, and 19 months, respectively. Zhongshan is forecast to record an annual net increase of more than 100,000 market entities. 

Foshan: First measures to support cultural industry cluster

Foshan’s Chancheng district implemented a package of measures aimed at promoting development of its cultural and creative industry zone, effective from May 5.

The measures will offer support in introducing and cultivating cultural and creative talents, fostering the growth of related startups, and giving aid for the settlement and development of enterprises. The subsidy period for talent introduction can last two years, and the subsidy amount is determined by the level of talent. The maximum subsidy is 80,000 yuan ($11,568) per person every year.

Huizhou: Projects facilitate Huizhou’s green transformation   

Two units of the Huizhou Fengda Power Plant Phase II Expansion Project will be completed and put into operation in June and August respectively, with a total installed capacity of 0.92 million kilowatts. 

In addition, the comprehensive energy station project in Daya Bay Petrochemical Industrial Zone with a total installed capacity of 1.33 million kilowatts will also be completed by the end of this year, striving to achieve full-capacity operation combined with wind and solar power. 

With the two large projects of natural gas power generation put into operation, the installed capacity of clean energy for Huizhou will be increased by 2.25 million kilowatts, speeding up the city’s green transformation.

Dongguan: Processing trade fair boosts commercial cooperation

The 13th China Processing Trade Products Fair, China’s only State-level exhibition with such a theme, opened in Dongguan on Wednesday, attracting over 1,310 domestic and overseas enterprises.

The event will run through Saturday, with the exhibition area expanded from 70,000 to 80,000 square meters this year. The fair set up separate exhibitions on opportunities arising from the industry, enterprises from Hong Kong and Macao, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

Launched 12 years ago, the exhibition has attracted over 10,000 exhibitors and facilitated more than 68,000 trade cooperation projects with an intended transaction volume of 780 billion yuan ($112.7 billion). 

Zhaoqing: Outcomes of intellectual property protection revealed

Zhaoqing Municipal Intermediate People’s Court recently released the results of five typical cases of intellectual property judicial protection in 2022, which involved unfair competition, trademark infringement, and infringement of the right of network dissemination.

Courts in Zhaoqing concluded 473 intellectual property cases last year. To strengthen law enforcement and judicial protection of intellectual property, 11 local judicial and technological official institutions also jointly signed a memorandum on fostering collaborations between judicial and administrative organs in this area.