Investors to have priority in Hengqin vehicle clearance

Niu Jing

The director-general of the Hengqin New Area Administrative Committee, Niu Jing, has hinted that those who have invested in the Hengqin new area will have priority access when using their Macau-licensed vehicles to enter and drive in the island.
Mr Niu said that they are still finalizing the details of the clearance arrangement for Macau-licensed vehicles to enter Hengqin. “People who have invested in Hengqin will be given priority to use their vehicle to enter Hengqin Island,” he stated.
Mr Niu said on the sidelines of a policy-briefing seminar promoting the Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone that more vehicles in the area could result in traffic congestion, and therefore they will need to exercise caution and implement policies incrementally. “We will implement measures step-by-step. The Hengqin area and the border have a limited capacity, so we need to find a solution. Otherwise it will create traffic jams,” he said.
The Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), together with the Administration Committee of Hengqin New Area and the Macau Chamber of Commerce, organized a policy-briefing seminar yesterday for companies interested in making investments or doing business in Hengqin.
IPIM’s president, Jackson Chang, stated that the seminar is aimed at enabling Macau enterprises to gain better understanding of Hengqin’s latest developments and policies, as well as providing detailed market information to enterprises wanting to invest there.
However, several business representatives left the policy-briefing halfway through, as the information provided during the seminar was of an administrative nature, rather than being policy-focused.
According to IPIM, 300 Macau companies attended yesterday’s briefing. The presentations focused mainly on the policies and mechanisms in place to assist the companies’ registration procedures in Hengqin; which procedures should be followed by which types of companies; application procedures for the Hengqin Entrepreneurship Valley for Macau youth, and other services.
Jackson Chang recalled that an agreement to establish a cooperative mechanism between Zhuhai and Macau was signed by both governments. They have also agreed on a set of 18 measures featuring four main areas, which will be implemented by the Gongbei Customs authority.
“A cross-border RMB loan service provided by the Guangzhou Branch of the People’s Bank will encourage the Macau community to participate in the development of Hengqin,” he said.
He recalled that the Macau government has already recommended 33 projects to the Hengqin authorities in the hope of fostering participation from Macau SMEs in the joint development of Macau and Hengqin.
Mr Chang stressed that IPIM will continue to provide assistance to Macau companies seeking to invest in mainland China, namely Hengqin. “A convenient and comprehensive consultation service will be provided to Macau enterprises intending to invest in Hengqin, which will provide guidance and advice to businesses, enabling them to take full advantage of and to profit from the free trade zone policy.
Mr Niu stressed that the Hengqin New Area will be a pilot zone for culture, education, and international business services, turning the area into “a tourism and leisure center.”
Furthermore, he suggested that in a second phase they will be launching additional pilot measures to assist in the promotion the free trade zone internationally.
Attendees said that they hope more policy-briefing sessions will be held in the near future to gather further information on the Hengqin New Area.  CP