Briefs | CE to visit Beijing for Greater Bay Area meeting

The Chief Executive, Chui Sai On, will visit Beijing for the first plenary meeting of the leading group for the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. Chui will attend the meeting, to be held on August 15, as a member of the leading group formed by the Central Government. The visit will run until August 17.

88 schools to start academic year beginning September

According to information provided by the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ), 88 schools are ready to kick-off the new academic year in the first four days of September. The DSEJ informed that 29 of these 88 schools will start the academic year on September 1 (Saturday), followed by the majority of 50 schools, which will start the academic year on September 3 (Monday). Nine other schools told the DSEJ they will be ready to start the year only on Tuesday (September 4). The bureau also noted that, according to the guidelines of DSEJ, most of the schools will organize opening ceremonies for the school year at different times for different year levels in order to facilitate the traffic flow on those days. Eleven other schools informed that they will start the classes for different year levels across two different days to reduce traffic congestion. More information on each school timetable and commencement dates can be accessed through DSEJ’s website.

Zhuhai signs RMB100 billion   loan deal

The Zhuhai municipal government has signed a loan agreement with China Construction Bank (CCB) Guangdong Branch, China Construction Bank (Asia), China Construction International, and China Construction Bank Macao Branch. According to the agreement, CCB and its subsidiaries will provide no less than RMB100 billion yuan (USD14.7 billion) to fund the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area in the following five years. The Mayor of Zhuhai pointed out that “during the transformation period, Zhuhai will need to fulfill the strategic role of the Belt & Road Initiative and establish the core urban area along the west bank of the Pearl River,” according to a statement issued by the Zhuhai Hengqin New Area. Specifically, Zhuhai plans to upgrade its infrastructure to enhance connectivity for the core urban area along the west bank of the Pearl River. A supply chain platform for tech companies will be initiated. The neighboring city’s government also plans to build a manufacturing base for high-end equipment at the west bank of the Pearl River.