Policies and Measures

The Shenzhen-Hong Kong Financial Co-operation Committee was established and convened its first meeting. The Committee gathers official members from the Central Authorities, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, as well as leaders of the financial industry in both places as non-official members. At the inauguration ceremony, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the Shenzhen Municipal Financial Regulatory Bureau signed the Letter of Intent on Shenzhen-Hong Kong Financial Co-operation Committee, with the aim of bolstering mutual access between the financial markets of the two places, co-operation on financial technologies and green finance, and the exchange of financial talents.

The coverage of Elderly Health Care Voucher has extended to more service points in the Greater Bay Area from the following dates onwards:

The Fourth Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Legal Professional Examination (the GBA Examination) was held. As more Hong Kong legal practitioners pass the GBA Examination and obtain practice qualifications to provide legal services in the nine Mainland municipalities in the Greater Bay Area, these Hong Kong legal practitioners with dual qualifications can contribute to the building of a pool of foreign-related legal talents in the Greater Bay Area for the country by utilising their abundant experience in handling cross-jurisdictional legal matters.

The duty-free allowance for luggage articles brought into the Mainland from Hong Kong by visitors who are Mainland residents has been increased to RMB12000, while retaining the measure of allowing for additional duty-free goods at the value of RMB3000 purchased at port entry duty-free stores, bringing the total amount of allowance to RMB15000. The measure enhances the shopping experiences of the Mainland residents and visitors in Hong Kong and provides them with greater flexibility when shopping, which will benefit Hong Kong in attracting more visitors and boosting the development of diversified tourism.

The Department of Justice and the Supreme People's Court held the first high-level joint meeting in Huizhou to accelerate the work on the interfaces of mechanisms, regulatory frameworks and talent training relating to the Greater Bay Area, and to help different sectors seize the development opportunities in the Greater Bay Area through the construction of the rule of law.

A task force for advancing Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong intellectual property (IP) co-operation was established in Qianhai, Shenzhen, and convened its first meeting. The task force discussed and formulated practical and feasible proposals on co-operation that would deliver win-win outcomes for both Shenzhen and Hong Kong, covering measures on facilitating the handling of patent matters, encouraging transformation and commercialisation of IP rights, dispute resolution, expert assistance, co-operation and exchanges among service agencies, etc. The plaque unveiling ceremony of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Intellectual Property Enquiry Point (Enquiry Point) set up by the China (Shenzhen) Intellectual Property Protection Center was held after the meeting. The Enquiry Point provides enquiry services on the application and registration of trademarks, patents and designs in Hong Kong, so that residents and enterprises in the Mainland are able to have easy access to basic information about the application and registration of IP rights in Hong Kong.

Non-Chinese Hong Kong permanent residents can apply to the China Travel Service (Hong Kong) Limited entrusted by the Exit and Entry Administration of the country for the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (Non-Chinese Citizens). This measure offers them greater clearance convenience at control points of the Mainland, and facilitating their visit to the Mainland for business, travelling, visiting relatives, etc.

The GBA Online Collaborative Platform (gbadrplatform.org) was launched, which provides people and enterprises in the Greater Bay Area with an online dispute resolution option that is reliable, innovative and convenient. The Platform provides one-stop information on dispute resolution services in the Greater Bay Area, as well as links to websites of collaborative arbitration and mediation institutions, so that users can easily search for the required services, information and resources on dispute resolution.

The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, leading the delegation of the HKSAR, met with the Secretary of the Communist Party of China Guangdong Provincial Committee, Mr Huang Kunming, and co-chaired the 24th Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference with the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Wang Weizhong, in Guangzhou. The theme of the Conference was "Taking Forward the High-Quality Development of Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation, and Realising the New Strategic Positioning of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area". The governments of Guangdong and the HKSAR have made steady progress in various co-operation areas, including innovation and technology, developing the Northern Metropolis, financial services, construction of the rule of law, pursuing the "dual carbon" goal, cross-boundary transport and logistics, investment, trade and IP, education, talent co-operation, healthcare, emergency management, youth development, culture, and the 15th National Games. Six co-operation agreements were signed after the Conference, covering legal affairs, quality, testing and certification, food safety, healthcare co-operation, etc.

To facilitate cross-boundary healthcare collaboration, two new functions named "Cross-boundary Health Record" and "Personal Folder" of the eHealth mobile application have been piloted. Under the principle of "bring your own health records", the new functions enhance the continuity of care for Hong Kong citizens through facilitating the use of electronic health records at designated medical institutions outside Hong Kong in a secured manner.

The Immigration Department launched the "Mutual Use of QR Code between HKSAR and Macao SAR Clearance Service" in collaboration with the Public Security Police Force, the Identification Services Bureau, the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau and the Public Security Forces Affairs Bureau of Macao. This initiative aims at providing faster and more convenient immigration clearance service for eligible Hong Kong residents and Macao residents.

The first Practical Legal Training for Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Lawyers was held at the Guangdong Judges College. Experts and lawyers with ample practical experience from the people's courts, arbitral institutions and commercial mediation institutions, etc. on the Mainland gave lectures on topics including civil and commercial litigation, arbitration and mediation. The training seeks to facilitate the professional development of Greater Bay Area lawyers, thereby contributing to the construction of the rule of law in the Greater Bay Area.

The People's Bank of China (PBOC) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) signed the Memorandum of Understanding between the PBOC and the HKMA on Cross-Boundary Linkage of Payment Systems between the Mainland and Hong Kong, establishing a co-operation framework for the linkage. The two sides also exchanged views on financial co-operation between the Mainland and Hong Kong, pushing forward the linkage of fast payment systems, etc.

To promote the interface of non-litigation dispute resolution services in the Greater Bay Area, the Department of Justice held the first Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Mediator Training Course of Hong Kong. Mediation experts from Guangdong and Macao introduced the respective mediation systems and culture of Guangdong and Macao, and shared their experiences. They also explored the latest developments of cross-boundary dispute mediation in the Greater Bay Area and the cultural difference and integration in mediation of the three places, and discussed topics including the means and skills in handling cross-boundary disputes.

The fifth meeting of the Task Force for Collaboration on the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy was held. The governments of the HKSAR and Shenzhen reported on the progress of the work of the Working Group for Sha Tau Kok Co-operation Zone and the Working Group for Qianhai - Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area, as well as the latest work on cross-boundary rail transport and boundary control points. The HKSAR Government also introduced key tasks for the Northern Metropolis in the second half of the year.

The first inauguration ceremony of City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan) was held, marking a new milestone in higher education co-operation in the Greater Bay Area.

The People's Government of Guangdong Province announced the issuance of offshore renminbi (RMB) local government bonds in Hong Kong, which will be listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. This bond issuance not only fully demonstrates Hong Kong's significant strengths in issuing RMB debt products, but also further solidifies Hong Kong's position as a global offshore RMB business hub, contributes to the prudent and solid advancement of RMB internationalisation, and enables the Greater Bay Area to better serve as the momentum for high-quality development.

The HKSAR Government and the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China signed the Second Agreement Concerning Amendment to the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) Agreement on Trade in Services (Amendment Agreement II), with a view to further enhancing liberalisation and facilitating trade in services in response to the aspirations of the Hong Kong business community for greater participation in the development of the Mainland market.

The Amendment Agreement II introduces new liberalisation measures across several service sectors where Hong Kong enjoys competitive advantages, such as financial services, construction and related engineering services, testing and certification, telecommunications, motion pictures, television and tourism services. Most of the liberalisation measures apply to the whole Mainland, while some of them are designated for pilot implementation in the nine Pearl River Delta municipalities in the Greater Bay Area. The new agreement makes it easier for Hong Kong service suppliers to establish enterprises and develop business on the Mainland, enables more Hong Kong professionals to obtain qualifications to practise on the Mainland, and allows more of the Hong Kong's quality services to be provided to the Mainland market, while contributing to and serving the country's development.

The new agreement will be implemented starting from 1 March next year. Relevant details are available on the Trade and Industry Department website at www.tid.gov.hk/english/cepa/index.html.