Shenzhen makes strides in luring HK builders

The Qianhai Cooperation Zone in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, is making big strides in pushing forward cooperation with Hong Kong in the field of engineering construction, with innovative policies to encourage organizations and professionals from the special administrative region to practice there.

Under the new policies, registered Hong Kong organizations and professionals will be allowed to participate in engineering construction projects and provide professional services in Qianhai from this month after they finish administrative registration requirements.

The move marks a step forward in expanding mutual recognition of professional qualifications between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong and promoting the cross-border flow of people.

The preferential policies in Qianhai are a big boon for Hong Kong enterprises in the architecture industry, said Xu Xin, associate architect of Qianhai-based Leigh & Orange (Shenzhen), a subsidiary of Hong Kong-founded Leigh & Orange Architects.

"With the door of Qianhai's construction market being opened, there will be a wider market for us to explore," Xu said. "Meanwhile, with professionalism that is in line with international standards, we can also bring advanced concepts and sophisticated experience to the Bay Area, contributing our strengths to its development."

The development blueprint for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, launched in February last year, said the scope for mutual recognition of professional qualifications between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, and between the mainland and Macao, should be expanded.

It also made it clear that measures should be taken to facilitate people from both the mainland and the two special administrative regions to work across the boundary.

Taking a positive outlook toward Bay Area development, more Hong Kong enterprises are looking to expand to Qianhai. According to official statistics, it is now home to over 11,000 Hong Kong-funded enterprises.

The actual use of Hong Kong capital amounted to over $20 billion, accounting for nearly 90 percent of the total foreign capital used by the free trade area.

Wu Sikang, director of the Shenzhen government's Development Research Center, said the city will continue to be market-oriented and internationally focused.

With the private sector and foreign investment accounting for the majority of its market entities, the city will strive to create a more favorable business environment for them to develop, he said.