200m TEUs:Yantian Port reaches new milestone

 Yantian International Container Terminals (YICT) handled its 200 millionth TEU (20-foot equivalent unit) on Feb. 1, a new milestone that was achieved in only eight years from the 100 millionth TEU.

It took about 18 and a half years for YICT to achieve its first milestone of 100 million TEUs in 2013, following its 2007 performance when it became the world’s first container terminal to reach an annual throughput exceeding 10 million TEUs.

A celebration ceremony held Monday to mark the achievement also witnessed the launch of the preferred port for cross-border e-commerce businesses in South China, a project aimed at attracting more e-commerce businesses to Yantian.

As a marine transport hub in Guangdong-Hong Kong and Macao Greater Bay Area, YICT plays a vital role by carrying out one-third of Guangdong’s foreign trade and one quarter of China’s foreign trade with the U.S.

As proposed at the recently concluded Sixth Congress of the Fifth Yantian District CPC Committee, the district will speed up building the eastern port area of Yantian Port into a new-generation automated intelligent port, put emphasis on the development of cross-border e-commerce business and bonded logistics, promote the exhibition and trade of bonded products and attract more high-quality enterprises to participate in the construction of the port economic belt.

With its geographical advantages, natural deep-water berths, state-of-the-art terminal facilities, efficient clearance procedures and comprehensive transportation network, YICT has become the preferred port of call for mega-vessels. As of now, Yantian Port can accommodate five 400-meter-long container ships, each at 200,000 tons, simultaneously.

Currently, it serves about 100 ships every week from over 40 well-known international shipping companies, 60 percent of which operate European and American routes.

In 2020, despite the pandemic, its throughput reached 13.34 million TEUs, up by 2.1 percent over 2019. It was awarded Shenzhen Mayor Quality Award for the year 2020.

YICT’s container throughput exceeded 1.46 million TEUs in September, breaking the global monthly record for a single terminal run by one port operator, following the record of 1.42 million TEUs in August.

Tax subsidies for high-level overseas professionals in SZ

 High-level and badly needed professionals from overseas, including expats, working in Shenzhen can apply for the subsidies for their individual income tax for the year 2020 from Aug. 16 to Sept. 30.

The applicants should meet one of the following criteria: permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macao, mainland residents who have settled in Hong Kong and Macao without mainland household registrations, residents of Taiwan, foreign nationals, returned overseas students who have obtained long-term residency abroad, or overseas Chinese, according to a notice issued by authorities in Shenzhen recently.

Applicants are required to have signed a labor contract with a Shenzhen employer and have worked in Shenzhen for more than 90 days in 2020. They must have been selected into major talents projects, have been recognized as overseas high-level talents, have been holders of Guangdong talents cards, or have obtained permanent residency permits in China, work permits or high-end talent confirmation letters.

They should be research team members and management talents of major innovation platforms, middle-level managers or above, or team members undertaking major vertical research projects at or above the municipal level in universities, research institutes, hospitals and other related institutions, and leaders of key disciplines and key specialists at and above the municipal level.

They can also be managers, scientific research team members, core technology workers and outstanding young talents at headquarters companies, Fortune 500 companies and their branches and high-tech enterprises, large-scale core enterprises, listed companies and high-growth technological innovation-oriented enterprises.

According to the tax incentives, the applicant must pay the prescribed legal individual income taxes (IIT) in Shenzhen, with the IIT paid exceeding the tax amount computed at 15 percent of the talent’s taxable income.

The subsidy amount is calculated by the paid IIT in the tax year 2020 minus taxable income that multiplies 15 percent. The maximum individual income tax subsidy is 5 million yuan (US$771,177).

Qualified applicants or their employers can apply through http://tyrz.gd.gov.cn by Sept. 30 and the authorities will give out subsidies after qualification checks.

Shenzhen Maker Week kicks off

THE seven-day National Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation Week 2018 Shenzhen Venue and Fourth Shenzhen Maker Week kicked off at the Sea World Culture and Arts Center in Shekou in Nanshan District yesterday.


As an international platform showcasing entrepreneurship and innovation with Shenzhen characteristics, the 2018 Shenzhen Maker Week aims to feature cutting-edge technologies, connect maker projects and stimulate enthusiasm for innovation through diverse modes, such as interactive performances, a maker competition, themed forums, workshops and Maker Faire.


There will be a total of 20 major events held across the city during the Maker Week, providing innovative activities to makers from home and abroad. The main venue is the Sea World Culture and Arts Center, where the Maker Faire is being held.


Themed "Co-making in the City," the Maker Faire showcases more than 1,000 creative projects from around the world and the latest innovations in open source hardware, robotics, 3-D printing and other fields.


Zachary Hany, a maker from the United States, has attended the Maker Faire for four consecutive years. "As a maker, if you have any ideas or want to create new things, you should come to Shenzhen. Because in Shenzhen, you can do it right away and can find factories to make it happen," said Hany.


Additionally, the Maker Faire features 12 artistic maker installations and more than 20 workshops in education, fashion, technology, music, virtual reality and beyond.
Massimo Banzi, co-founder of maker platform Arduino, Eric Pan, founder of Chaihuo Maker Space, and Shenzhen Vice Mayor Wang Lixin gave speeches at the opening ceremony.


"A lot of innovations are happening here in Shenzhen," said Banzi. According to him, Shenzhen is often called the "Silicon Valley of Hardware" because of its manufacturing advantages. It is also the birthplace of some of China's most famous technology firms.


"I think the global maker community needs to be more in touch, and Maker Week sends a strong message that inspires companies and makers to connect and have a more positive impact on the world," said Banzi.


"As a senior maker and entrepreneur, I have witnessed that the city has placed much importance on recruiting talents and optimizing the business environment," said Pan. At present, Chaihuo Maker Space has more than 6,000 members from over 20 countries and regions.


According to Wang, in addition to improving the construction of scientific research institutions and science and technology infrastructure, Shenzhen has also provided subsidies and funds to help cultivate innovative companies. In 2017, the Shenzhen government granted over 4 billion yuan (US$578 million) in subsidies to innovative enterprises, Wang said.


Shenzhen Maker Week was first launched as an annual event in 2015 and is an important part of the National Mass Entrepreneurship and Innovation Week.

Source:Shenzhen Daily

"Shenzhen’s Strength" Among the Fortune Global 500 to Continue Growing

The 2018 Fortune Global 500 list has just been released and includes seven companies from Shenzhen: Ping An, Hua Wei, Amer International, China Merchants Bank,Evergrande, Tencent and Vanke. Their rankings have risen significantly compared with previous years together with how highly they're valued.



　　The Fortune Global 500, which is released annually, mirrors the global economic landscape. Looking at the total number of companies on the list, 120 are Chinese enterprises, ranking them second only to the companies from the United States with 126, a fact that fits with the China’s position as the world's second largest economy. For the last 15 years the number of Chinese enterprises on this list has continued to increase, indicating that momentum is gathering as they grow bigger and bigger. However, “being stronger” doesn’t necessarily come with “being bigger." There are still big gaps in large Chinese enterprises in terms of institutional mechanisms, innovation, personnel training, brand influence and internationalization, when compared with top international enterprises. Looking at two indicators (return on sales and return on net assets) that can better judge a company’s performance, the overall condition of Chinese enterprises on the list is not optimistic: their performance indicators are slightly lower than average and are going down -- a situation that must be seriously addressed.


　　The economist Paul Anthony Samuelson said in his famous book Economics that "In the United States, business is about enterprise", which shows the importance of enterprises to a country. The report to the 19th CPC National Congress clearly stated that "Fostering world-leading enterprises with international competitiveness” means we must train our companies to be bigger and stronger, thereby accelerating the construction of a modern economic system and promoting high-quality economy development.


　　We may observe China from many perspectives, and the development of enterprises is one of the indispensable factors. Some have summed up the Chinese economy over the past 40 years of reform and opening up in three main phrases: first, a big and strong state-owned economy, for example in Beijing; second, introduction of foreign capital, for example in Shanghai; third, prosperity of private economy, for example in Shenzhen. It’s just as the saying goes: “State-owned enterprises prosper in Beijing, foreign enterprises in Shanghai, private enterprises in Shenzhen.”



　　With its big market and fast-paced growth, it's not difficult for China to attract world-class multinational companies or cultivate world-class state-owned enterprises. However, the task of cultivating world-class local private enterprises in a short time is extremely difficult. One of the most successful and unique things achieved by the Shenzhen SEZ since its establishment 38 years ago is the independent nurturing of a number of world-class local private enterprises, and the entrepreneurial spirit has become a distinctive part of the city’s DNA. Of the seven companies on the list, except Evergrande, six are native to Shenzhen and have tremendous influence in China and a strong presence on the international stage.


　　The number of Fortune Global 500 companies that are based in a city can be very important, making its structure and benefits even more appealing. Among the seven Shenzhen-headquartered Fortune Global 500 companies, there are two financial companies, two real estate developers, one communications equipment manufacturer, one non-ferrous metals manufacturer and one Internet company. These all fall within the scope of modern services, high technology and strategic emerging industries, which reflects the rationality of Shenzhen's economic and industrial structure. Of those Chinese companies listed, Ping An ranks 7th, and also boasts the highest revenue among non-state-owned enterprises; Tencent, with a profit margin of more than 30%, is the most profitable enterprise. They form a microcosm of the development quality and efficiency of Shenzhen enterprises.


　　Instead of trees standing alone one by one, world-class companies should result from the same ecosystem. Shenzhen's urban atmosphere, business vitality, public services and innovative entrepreneurship provide a fertile space in which companies can thrive. Shenzhen takes pride in its success in striving forward amid intense market competition while turning out large world-class enterprises and numerous small enterprises that make up an innovative and competitive “echelon”. This also serves as the strongest momentum that drives it forward.


　　Big enterprises are the cornerstone of industrial development and can lead and drive a number of supporting industries and enterprises to form a powerful driving force for industrial progress. As early as three years ago, Shenzhen promised that it would have 8 to 10 local enterprises listed on the Fortune Global 500 by 2020, with its urban competitiveness ranking among the best in the world. To this end, in the Several Measures to Help Enterprises Enhance Competitiveness, it is clearly stated that we need to implement a plan to nurture and attract large leading enterprises and multinational companies and add a number of corporate groups with international influence and competitiveness by providing 30 million yuan as a reward when they are first included in the Fortune Global 500. A 10 million yuan reward is offered to enterprises when they are first included in the China 500. Meanwhile, we will set up access limitations on land development and utilization, focus on supporting new energy, new materials and bio-pharmaceutical sectors to provide space for strategic emerging industries, modern services and headquarters economic bases. Strong policy orientation and support means big opportunities for enterprises. At present, Shenzhen has taken the lead in enhancing the reform of the business environment, which will make it easier for enterprises to grow bigger. In this context, “Shenzhen’s strength” in the Fortune Global 500 is expected to continue to grow an indeed it is only one step away from its 2020 goal.


　　It should be mentioned that only a great country can foster clusters of great enterprises. All those "giant trees" among Shenzhen enterprises have grown up throughout the process of reform and opening up. In the future, the new Shenzhen enterprises joining the Fortune Global 500 will inevitably stem from the national empowerment of the all-encompassing rise of the Chinese economy and sail forth into the era of comprehensively deepening reform and opening up.

Shenzhen’s strategic emerging industries take center stage

The functional cellphone Tecno has become a common sight on the main streets of Africa. Currently, this cellphone brand, which is not widely known at home, has been widely accepted in Africa. Tecno cellphones now account for about 50% of the market in Africa due to their superior quality, low power usage and unique functions.

　　The wide acceptance of Tecno cellphones in the international market reflects the rapid development of strategic emerging industries in Shenzhen. Currently, strategic emerging industries are now the main engine of Shenzhen’s economic development and are playing a critical role in this city. In the first half of 2018, the seven strategic emerging industries in Shenzhen achieved an added value of 414.604 billion yuan, an increase of 8.3%, and 0.3 percentage points higher than the GDP growth rate.

　　Emerging industries develop fast with strong momentum

　　The rapid development of emerging industries helped Shenzhen step onto the pathway of quality growth and connotative development, and created a favorable mechanism in which development is driven by innovation.

　　For example, Shenzhen makes comprehensive plans with foresight in the bio-tech industry. It has strengthened research in core and cutting-edge technologies and created an ecological system of industrial innovation. In recent years, Shenzhen’s bio-tech industry has grown rapidly at an average rate of 20% each year. In H1 2018, the city’s biomedical industry saw added value of 14.192 billion yuan, an increase of 23.8%.

　　As a national base of the bio-tech industry, Shenzhen made great achievements in the fields of biomedical engineering and biomedicine. The city is ranked among the world’s leaders in high-end biomedical engineering, gene sequencing, bioinformatic analysis and cell therapy. Data shows that Shenzhen has 300 innovation platforms of different levels and categories in the bio-tech field, among which 21 are on the national level. The city’s major industrial parks include the International Bio-Tech Valley, Shenzhen High-Tech Industrial Park and Pingshan National Bio-Tech Base.

　　In the field of next generation IT, Shenzhen has become an important base for IT manufacturing, R&D, exports and logistics center in China, and the headquarters or regional headquarters of the top 10 IT companies are located in Shenzhen. In H1 2018, Shenzhen’s next generation IT industry had an added value of 211.199 billion yuan, an increase of 9.6% and 1.6 percentage points higher than GDP growth rate.

　　Indeed, Shenzhen has issued plans and supporting policies for seven strategic emerging industries -- biotechnology, internet, new energy, new materials, culture creativity, next generation IT, energy saving and environmental protection -- and keeps cultivating and generating new business patterns. To push forward the concentrated development of strategic emerging industries, Shenzhen has constructed multiple key zones in recent years, such as Liuxiandong Strategic Emerging Industry Headquarter Base and Baguang International Bio-Tech Valley, which bolstered momentum for strategic emerging industries.

　　Leading companies are making great contributions.

　　Due to the rapid development of industries, the results of innovation have been numerous. Leading companies such as Huawei, Tencent, BYD Auto, Mindray and SuperD have risen to the top in their respective industries and indeed the world. They are playing an irreplaceable role in pushing forward industrial development.

　　Some companies with high growth have developed into industrial champions and become the core driving force for emerging industries. Hepalink has obtained the right to set the international market prices of heparin-related products. Beike Biotechnology has expanded with the largest-scale and most robust data in the world in terms of security and effectiveness of clinical research on stem cells. BTR has become the largest supplier of negative electrode materials of lithium-ion batteries in the world. DJI-Innovations accounts for more than 70% of the market share of consumer drones in the world. UBTech is the first high-growth humanoid robot company in the world and attracted widespread attention in the industry.

　　Shenzhen is strengthening top-level design of the innovation system and pushing forward technological innovation and industrial development through innovation in policies and systems. By issuing the Plan for Reforming Diversified Methods of Supporting Emerging Industries with Special Funds and implementing the special plan for supporting strategic emerging industries, Shenzhen provided support for more than 12,000 industrial projects. The city is carrying out a special project for integrated development of “industrial chain + innovation chain”, and it conducts more than 100 key scientific and technological projects every year in order to strengthen breakthrough efforts in core technologies.

　　“As it turns out, Shenzhen has seized the important opportunity of global technological reform at the earliest moment and in the best way possible,” says Song Bing, the secretary general of China Innovation South IP Institute. The rapid growth of strategic emerging industries enables Shenzhen to cultivate an industrial layout with stronger innovation capacity, better structure and higher quality, and helps with the industrial transformation and upgrade.

visa-related services counter opened for expats in ShenZhen

STARTING yesterday, expatriates who work at Fortune 500 companies, the country's top 500 companies, listed companies, large-scale leading companies recognized by Guangdong Province, top 100 taxpaying companies, industrial companies or foreign trade companies in Shenzhen can access exclusive visa-related services, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported yesterday.

According to the public security bureau, an exclusive counter will be opened for foreign executives of such companies. Additionally, an enterprise can make an appointment two weeks in advance if there are more than 40 applicants at the company, and staffers will be sent to the company to provide on-site services.

Meanwhile, the time for handling visa-related documents has been shortened from seven days to five.

On Aug. 20, Shenzhen's entry and exit authorities launched new online services for the convenience of foreigners. Expatriates who need to apply for certifications for a lost passport or a birth certificate for their baby born in China can log onto www.szga.gov.cn to complete the application.

Applicants need to fill out an online application form and upload the images of the materials as required.

In the past, the application formalities for expats were less convenient. Foreigners who had lost their passports had to go to the processing hall of the immigration office to fill out a form before submitting a lost article report at the police station before the applications could be processed.

Foreigners who wanted to apply for a birth certificate for their children born in China had to make an appointment online before submitting all of the required documents, including original passports and printed copies, to the administration hall of the entry and exit department.

Source:Shenzhen Daily

ShenZhen Biomedical industry exceeds 240b yuan

THE Shenzhen International Biotech Summit 2018 and the Biology and Health Industry Expo were held at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center on Thursday.

Nearly 100 guests, including biotech entrepreneurs, academicians and investors from home and abroad, attended the summit.

Hu Shengshou, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Wayne Hendrickson, a member of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S., both delivered keynote speeches.

Hu opened his speech by introducing the development of smart medical treatment in China, before pointing out the existing problems in information security, algorithm transparency and data authenticity.

With the boom of artificial intelligence (AI), AI technologies have also made great progress in the medical field, according to Hu. "In this context and in terms of social environment, policy, technology and capital, smart medical treatment seems to be very close to our daily life," Hu said.

However, in Hu's view, despite the emergence of medical AI companies and soaring medical financing, we still have a long way to go to realize the application of AI technologies in the medical field.

"Statistics showed that the smart medical market in China is expected to exceed 20 billion yuan (US$2.91 billion) in 2018. However, up until now there haven't been any real smart medical products in China approved by State-level certification and adopted for clinical application," Hu said in his speech.

According to him, computing power, algorithms and data are the core of smart medical treatment. In particular, health big data will greatly enhance the capabilities of community medical services.

Hu said the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Fuwai Hospital and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences will cooperate with the Shenzhen Municipal Government to develop a system to improve medical service capabilities at the grass-roots level based on three databases, including those of the city's population, medical insurance and hospitals.

According to Ai Xuefeng, vice mayor of Shenzhen, the output value of the city's biomedical industry exceeded 240 billion yuan in 2017. In the first half of 2018, the growth of the industry's added value increased by 23.8 percent, ranking first among the seven strategic emerging industries.


Source:Shenzhen Daily

Shenzhen plans to build 10 innovation centers to further advance high-end manufacturing

From the Generation 8.5 LCD panel to the first Generation 11 line to the second Generation 11 line launched this year, Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. (CSOT), starting from LCD panels, is making strides towards creating ultra HD and printed OLED panels of higher grades and bigger size, thus taking “Made in Shenzhen” to an even higher level.

　　Sticking to the spirit of “driving nails”, “Made in Shenzhen” continues to make persistent and long-term efforts to move forward. It is precisely the city’s desirable environment for innovation and entrepreneurship that encourages local manufacturers like Huawei, CSOT, CIMC, Skyworth and DJI-Innovations to make innovations, experiment with new concepts and upgrade themselves, all of which has laid a substantial economic foundation for a stronger and better “Made in Shenzhen” with comparative advantages.

　　In fact, the sound and steady development of Shenzhen’s economy has benefited from the longstanding growth of the real economy represented by industrial production. From January to May this year, the added value of industrial enterprises above a designated size in Shenzhen was 312.122 billion yuan, an increase of 8.7%, among which the manufacturing of communications equipment, computers and other electronic devices increased by 11.6%.

　　A world-class advanced manufacturing cluster

　　By adopting supply-side structural reform and improved quality of supply and efficiency as the main tasks, Shenzhen, following the guidelines for high-quality development, is building itself into a national-level advanced manufacturing demonstration area, promoting the close integration of manufacturing with new technologies, new businesses and new modes, and accelerating the process of high-end, intelligent, service-oriented and green manufacturing.

　　An official at the Economic, Trade and Information Commission of Shenzhen Municipality noted that this year the city has built a pilot cluster for advanced manufacturing and formulated a trial scheme for development of a next-generation information and communications cluster. This is part of efforts to create a distinctive world-class next-generation information and communications cluster, with complete systems, close synergy and strong competitiveness, while promoting the construction of a number of intelligent manufacturing demonstration plants and creating national and provincial intelligent manufacturing pilot demonstration projects.

　　Notably, Shenzhen is carrying out a new round of key projects to cultivate and introduce engineering projects. This is especially evident in its embrace of the opportunity to create a national-level advanced manufacturing demonstration area, while striving to launch key projects at national and provincial levels. It is also focusing on leading industries like next-generation information technology to build a world-class advanced manufacturing cluster.

　　In May, Shenzhen added another brilliant milestone to its list of key major industrial projects: an ultra HD new display device Generation 11 production line was launched in Guangming New Area. The line can process about 90,000 sheets of 3,370mm*2,940mm glass substrates per month and was built with a total investment of about 42.683 billion yuan. This project, which is a preemptive move targeting the large-size, ultra HD panel market and to gain a greater international voice, is invested by TCL, CSOT and Shenzhen Fund for Major Industrial Development and scheduled to start commercial production in March 2021.

　　Highlighting advanced manufacturing technology

　　Shenzhen is making every effort to work towards high-end manufacturing. So far, the city is planning to build 10 manufacturing innovation centers in emerging industries ranging from 5G, new displays, integrated circuits, robotics, additive manufacturing, graphene, new energy vehicles, aerospace equipment to offshore engineering equipment and precision medical treatment.

　　Innovation centers for terahertz, graphene, micro-nano manufacturing and intelligent marine engineering have been put on the list with a focus on fulfilling the task of building 10 centers. This will help achieve breakthroughs in core technologies, speed up the construction of industrial clusters, and foster a number of 10 or 100 billion-level industrial clusters to help Shenzhen build international technical and industrial innovation centers.

　　Advanced manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing have performed well. Statistics show that in the first five months of this year, Shenzhen's advanced manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing created an added value of 215.224 billion yuan and 200.545 billion yuan, respectively, an increase of 11.9% and 11.4%, and accounted for 69.0% and 64.3% of the added value of industrial enterprises above a designated size.

Shenzhen Ranks No.1 in Big Data Development Index

The “Blue Book of Big Data – Annual Report on Development of Big Data in China No.2”, compiled by a key big data laboratory and published by the Social Sciences Academic Press, was unveiled on May 28 with Shenzhen ranked No.1 in the big data development index.

　　The blue book, which evaluated 31 Chinese key cities (excluding four municipalities and Lhasa), highlighted that China is currently bolstering development of big data through breakthrough innovation and application of big data, which is playing a bigger role in improving state governance, enhancing public services, and boosting economic transformation and innovation-oriented development. The big data industry has been transformed to become a new driver and source of growth for economic and social development.

　　The “Development of Big Data in China No.2” continued its evaluation of the cities’ application of big data in the fields of politics, commerce and civilian use. Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Guiyang, Qingdao, Ningbo and Xiamen were named the top 10 cities, according to the ranking that evaluated 31 Chinese key cities in 2017.

　　Guangdong, Beijing, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Shandong, Guizhou, Tianjin, Chongqing and Fujian were the top 10 provincial-level regions.

　　The 2017 index outperformed that in 2016, with an average score of 32.47, up 25% from 25.98 in 2016. Among the 31 cities, 16 saw their scores remain above the average level. In terms of score distribution, Shenzhen only led the other cities by a small margin in 2017, just as it did in 2016, indicating that cities are closing the gap in their big data development.

　　The blue book showed that Shenzhen and Guangzhou led other Chinese key cities in big city development, with Shenzhen ranking No.1 and performing well across all indicators. The city took a big lead in the development of the digital economy and ranking No.1 in commercial and civilian applications. However, Shenzhen saw a big decline in the political application ranking coming in at 7th.

　　Meanwhile, political application of big data still plays the largest role, while commercial application is just beginning to take effect. However, civilian applications have yet to give a strong boost to big data development. Cities such as Shenzhen, where big data development has been more rapid, saw their score in commercial application rise above that of civilian application, indicating that such cities have switched to focus on commercial application to boost overall development.

　　This indicates that as big data development enters a new phase, commercial applications will serve as a main driver, and big data, as a new factor of production, has demonstrated its role of driving innovation and providing a new impetus for development of the digital economy and the upgrade of traditional industries.

　　The blue book suggests that only when more supportive policies are rolled out will commercial use of big data be able to boost development of big data in society.　　

Shenzhen Now Has 50 Municipal-level Startup Incubator Bases

　Shenzhen currently has 50 municipal-level startup incubator bases, 80% of which have received investments from private companies and are highly market-oriented. Shenzhen has issued a slew of preferential policies for starting a business. Individuals and partnerships who start a business can apply for a secured startup loan of up to RMB 300,000 and RMB 3 million, respectively.
 

　　The Human Resources and Social Security Administration of Shenzhen Municipality recently held a meeting to share experiences on startup incubator bases and issued licenses to 34 municipal-level startup incubator bases. These were the first startup incubator bases to be certificated by the municipal government since Shenzhen issued Measures on Administration of Startup Incubator Bases in May 2017. With the inclusion of the existing 16 bases, there are now 50 municipal-level startup incubator bases in Shenzhen.

　　Among these, seven were established by colleges and universities and 43 were established via private investment, indicating that over 80% of the municipal-level startup incubator bases were invested by private companies and highly market-oriented. In terms of regional distribution, nearly all districts have at least one startup incubator base, with 10 in Futian District, three in Luohu District, 13 in Nanshan District, 9 in Baoan District, 9 in Longgang District, one in Longhua District, three in Pingshan District and two in Guangming New District. Startups in the areas of electromechanics, electronics, computers, logistics, trade, e-commerce and culture and creativity have all joined these bases.

　　In recent years, Shenzhen has issued a wide range of preferential policies for those wanting to start a business, including offering loans, subsidies and guidance. Individuals and partnerships who start up a business can apply for a secured loan of up to RMB 300,000 and RMB 3 million, respectively, and they can enjoy loans with discounted interest for up to three years as well as subsidies to help pay for social insurance, initial costs of starting a business, leasing office space, and creating jobs. 

　　In 2017, Shenzhen issued RMB 18.9897 million worth of subsidies for starting a business and 552 individuals applied for subsidies to assist with leasing office space. The public employment service center in Shenzhen can assign tutors to these bases to answer questions on business models, law and finance.

　　The center will continue to certify municipal-level startup incubator bases and evaluate existing certified bases. It will also certify municipal and provincial-level startup incubator bases and those that receive certification will get a subsidy of RMB 300,000 and RMB 500,000, respectively.

Shenzhen ranks sixth in economic competitiveness worldwide

On October 30th (“World Cities Day”) the Global Urban Competitiveness Forum convened in Guangzhou. At the meeting, the National Academy of Economic Strategy (NAES), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and the UN–Habitat jointly released The Global Urban Competitiveness Report 2017-2018.

　　The Report states that Shenzhen ranks sixth in the "Economic Competitiveness Ranking" after measuring the "Economic Competitiveness" of 1007 cities in the world. Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing rank 14, 15 and 20 respectively.

　　Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen not only have the most prosperous buildings, the most diverse inclusiveness, but also are the field of dreams for many people wanting to change their lives. "Economic competitiveness" is the ranking for existing stocks, but for young people, the incremental part (the future) is even more important. The Report also provides an indicator for reference - "Sustainable Competitiveness", which is the sustainability of global competitiveness in the future.In the future rankings of Sustainable Competitiveness (except for Beijing being higher than the indicators of Economic Competitiveness) the sustainable competitiveness indicators of other cities are lower than the rankings of their economic competitiveness and Shenzhen ranks 35th in the world.

　　Technology and finance are dominating the global economy and occupying the main part of global value chain, especially information technology companies that are showing increasingly more influence. Technological center cities are occupying an increasingly higher status in the global city.

　　Taking into account factors such as the number of most valuable brands from each city in 2017 and changes in the past ten years, the Report also sets up the future Rankings of "New Global Cities". Among the top 50 cities, Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Guangzhou are all listed, but for "New Tier-A Cities", only Hangzhou makes the list.

Shenzhen Ranks Third for Digital Talents in China

The Tsinghua SEM Internet Development and Governance Research Center jointly released the Digital Transformation in China's Economy: Talents and Employment report. It shows that the number of digital talents in Shenzhen ranked third in the country and Shenzhen's digital talents are mainly clustered in Internet and communications companies.
 
　　Digital talents refer to not only those with ICT (Information and Communications Technology) expertise, but also those cross-disciplinary talents with expertise for the complementation and coordination of information technology.

　　From the perspective of digital transformation in terms of the value chain, digital talents are mainly divided into six categories: digital strategy management, in-depth analysis, product development, advanced manufacturing, digital operating and digital marketing personnel. This study screened 720,000 digital talents by gathering user portraits from multiple dimensions and tracking their career paths.

　　The report found that the distribution of digital talents in China shows a high degree of consistency with the development of the digital economy. Large cities with the most digital talents in descending order are: Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Suzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan and Xi'an, with Shenzhen ranking third in the country. 

　　In terms of mobility, unlike the phenomenon of "leaving Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou" which has been frequently reported in recent years, the mobility of digital talents shows a trend of congregating in first-tier cities. Shanghai and Shenzhen are the cities with the greatest influx of digital talents in the past three years.

SZ sets up 7 overseas innovation centers

ANOTHER milestone was reached for Shenzhen to become an international innovation hub Tuesday when Shenzhen's seven overseas innovation centers were inaugurated, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported.

　　The seven overseas innovation centers in San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, London, Evelyn, Tel Aviv and Toronto are the first batch of the city's overseas institutions.

　　All seven overseas innovation centers were located in places recognized around the world for their innovation resources. The centers were jointly built by high-tech companies and research institutions in Shenzhen, like the Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen, BGI and Tian'an Cyber Park.

　　One of the overseas centers was co-founded by the Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen and Leaguer Group Co. Ltd. in San Francisco. The center is located in the bay area, where the world's top technology talents and corporations, including Intel, Apple, Google and Tesla, are gathered.

　　The two Shenzhen-based institutions will work with local incubators in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, namely Read Write Lab and Plug and Play, to build a team to operate the innovation center.

　　Emphasizing artificial intelligence (AI), IOT and health, this particular overseas innovation center will make use of foreign technology media outlets to promote Shenzhen's innovative corporations to the world stage and at the same time, introduce more international brands back home.

　　Moreover, the overseas center is going to use a special foundation to support cross-border projects to settle in Shenzhen.

　　Another Shenzhen company is responsible for building the overseas innovation center in Tel Aviv. The company has already come to agreements with Trendlines Group and a high-tech college in Israel to jointly maintain the center and incubate projects in the areas of biomedical, security, AI, drones and robots.

　　One of the key aspects of fulfilling the city's goal of becoming an international technology and innovation hub is building 10 overseas innovation centers. A plan has been mapped out by the municipal government at the beginning of this year to achieve the goal.

　　According to the plan, Shenzhen will build overseas innovation centers in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, Israel, Canada and other countries and areas that have innovation resources during the 13th Five-Year Plan. The innovation centers are expected to take shape by 2020. 　　

shenzhen’s Indictors for Intellectual Property Rights Continue to Lead the Nation with 80 Patents Granted for Every 10,000 People

　80 invention patents per 10,000 people 

　　The Intellectual Property Office of Shenzhen Municipality recently held the "Intellectual Property Policy and Patent Insurance Products Seminar." Reporters learned that, over the years, in Shenzhen the business of protecting intellectual property has made sustained and rapid development, while the city has consistently led the nation across a number of intellectual property indicators. The Intellectual Property Office of Shenzhen Municipality and Ping An Property & Casualty Insurance Company of China, Ltd., have also made some recent progress on the types of insurance products they have jointly developed.

　　In 2016, the number of patent applications handled by the city maintained stable growth, with the total number reaching more than 145,000. The cumulative number of valid invention patents were more than 95,000, or 80.1 for every 10,000 people, which is 10 times the national average, ranking Shenzhen first nationwide among major cities. PCT patent applications were over 19,000, accounting for about half of the total number of applications nationwide. At the 18th China Patent Awards, the city won four gold awards, with that tally ranking it second among the nation’s major cities nationally. As of the end of 2016, the city has won 27 China gold patent awards.

　　Chen Mingang, director of the Intellectual Property Office of Shenzhen Municipality, briefed the seminar on the work of intellectual property rights in Shenzhen and the demonstration work on patent insurance. He said that intellectual property has once again become a hot topic in industry, academia and society since the central government put forward an innovation-driven development strategy and the goal of building the country into an innovation powerhouse. The State Council has successively issued the Several Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of a Powerful Nation in Regards to Intellectual Property Rights Under the New Situation and the 13th Five-year Plan for the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights and Utilization Scheme, both of which clearly propose to "strictly protect intellectual property rights and strengthen the use of intellectual property rights."

　　In 2013, Shenzhen was named as one of the second batch of national patent insurance pilot areas. In August 2016, Shenzhen was assessed by the State Intellectual Property Office as being among the first batch of the nation’s patent insurance model cities. Since the pilot demonstration, the Intellectual Property Office of Shenzhen Municipality has taken effective measures to achieve a certain degree of work effectiveness, which was affirmed by the State Intellectual Property Office. In order to effectively promote the demonstration work of patent insurance, the Intellectual Property Office of Shenzhen Municipality has also developed a Patent Insurance Demonstration Work Program.

　　During the week of the World Intellectual Property Day on April 26,
　　the Intellectual Property Office of Shenzhen Municipality and Ping An Property & Casualty Insurance signed a patent insurance strategic cooperation agreement.

Under the agreement, the two sides will jointly explore launching patent insurance policy research, promoting patent insurance products, creating innovative patent insurance products, exploring the construction of a patent insurance service system and the establishment of an intellectual property risk control and decentralization mechanism, increasing patent insurance training and intensifying publicity efforts.

The two sides, through the optimization of patent insurance products as well as insurance service and business models, will build a Shenzhen intellectual property risk management service platform. And during the patent insurance demonstration period, the Intellectual Property Office of Shenzhen Municipality together with Ping An Property & Casualty Insurance were the first in the country to develop a new type of patent insurance - "patent infringement loss insurance."

　　Chen Mingang believes that the cooperation between the two sides is based on the outstanding performance and reputation of Ping An Property & Casualty Insurance’s business and the responsibility assumed by Shenzhen in carrying out work on intellectual property. "Of course, the city's patent insurance work is still in the exploratory stage, with the current main areas of focus as the following: the varieties of patent insurance are relatively few and options available to businesses are small in scope, while market demand has not yet been fully tapped; some companies do not truly realize the value of patent insurance, and consider it as an operating cost; also, patent insurance needs to be better publicized.”

　　Shenzhen is a major financial market, with banking, insurance and other segments relatively well developed. The financial industry, including the insurance sector, is one of the four pillar industries in Shenzhen. To achieve protection of intellectual property rights as well as insurance pairing and cooperation, the city must play to its inevitable advantages. It is also an opportunity to strengthen Shenzhen’s intellectual property rights and insurance industries.

PwC headquarters its China excellence center in Qianhai

GLOBAL consultancy firm PwC headquartered its China Center of Excellence in Shenzhen's Qianhai yesterday, aiming to provide innovative solutions, sophisticated technology and business insights to Qianhai firms as well as those in the rest of Shenzhen and the broader China market.

　　Saying that the center is the first of its kind that PwC has established globally, Elton Yeung, strategy and innovation service leader of PwC's China division, hopes their creativity, insights and education programs will help establish Qianhai as an industrial and financial innovation hub. The center has plans to educate young entrepreneurs, help incubate startups, and offer innovative solutions on financial security, cyber security, smart offices and e-commerce.

　　"Considering its location, preferential policies, infrastructure and talents, we have high hopes for Qianhai's future development," Yeung told reporters after a signing ceremony where PwC reached a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Shenzhen Qianhai Financial Holding Co.

　　"We hope to use our expertise and resources to help Qianhai find its mode of development both in innovation and finance," said Yeung. “To be specific, we will help more overseas financial firms establish a presence in Qianhai and also help Qianhai firms go global."

　　PwC will leverage its global network to help Qianhai Financial fulfil its development strategy by attracting outstanding local and overseas financial enterprises, Yeung said. PwC will also provide advisory services, carry out research for financial services firms in Qianhai and provide innovative solutions to help establish a new financial services model in Qianhai, according to Li Qiang, chairman of Qianhai Financial.

　　The center is an important step PwC is taking to transform itself from a firm focused on auditing, assurance, tax and consulting services to a multi-field service provider, according to Yeung.

　　"The China Center of Excellence is an integral part of PwC's development blueprint for China and will boost the ecosystem of Qianhai, said Raymund Chao, chairman of PwC's China division. "Helping Qianhai's development as an international industrial innovation hub also helps us fulfill our purpose of building trust in society and solving important problems."

Financial and tech town to settle in Qianhai

TO build the Sino-U.K. financial and tech town, Qianhai signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with British Canary Wharf Group plc. and China Bridge Capital at 10 Downing Street on Friday.
 

　　The agreement said that the three parties would establish the town in Qianhai and promote the development of finance, technology and other modern services in the area, creating a global financial industry complex and a financial ecosystem.

　　This move aims to enhance the economic and trade cooperation between China and the U.K. and implement the requirement given by Shenzhen Party chief Xu Qin to deepen the cooperation between Chinese and U.K. enterprises in financial innovation.

　　Ahead of signing the agreement, the Qianhai delegation, which was led by Tian Fu, director of the Qianhai-Shekou Pilot Free Trade Area Authority, visited the Canary Wharf Group, where its chief executive, Sir George Iacobescu, introduced the development and operation of Canary Wharf.

　　Canary Wharf is a major business district located in Tower Hamlets, East London. It is one of the U.K.'s two main financial centers and is the harbor of many world-famous headquarters, such as Credit Suisse, HSBC, Infosys, J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley.

　　The delegation also met the Deputy Mayor of London, Rajesh Agrawal, officials of investment promotion and the HSBC management to discuss building an HSBC regional headquarters in Qianhai.

City partners with Berlin on design

INDUSTRIAL designers and manufacturers in Shenzhen are expected to have easier access to German resources as the city partnered with Berlin on industrial design at the Ninth China (Shenzhen) International Design Festival, which opened at the Bao'an Public Library on Friday and ends tomorrow.

　　Themed "Creating and Sharing the Future," the five-day event features designers from Germany, Sweden, Scotland and China sharing their experiences in the areas of artificial intelligence, robots, 3-D printing and personalized digital fabrication at forums, workshops and exhibitions.

　　Visitors were awed by elegant designs and fine craftsmanship of everyday practical items — such as watches, glasses, lamps, pens, and an array of ceramic and glass ware — on display at the "Handmade in Germany" section.

　　German designer, Matthias Philipp, said that the products, all handcrafted in Germany with very limited production, were made by small family-run companies who are very interested in coming to China.

　　Design is very relevant for all of us and we want to show the German designs, designers and our design tradition. That's why we came to promote our products to the Chinese people, to give them the possibility to learn about our designers' tactics and the process behind," he said.

　　Philipp, who signed the cooperation deal with SIDA as the manager of Direktorenhaus Berlin and visited the city's industrial design fair last month, said that he found a lot of interesting designs by young Chinese designers and thinks the city has very good and innovative ideas.

　　Katrin Buchta, German consul-general in Guangzhou, introduced the strategy of the German Government's policy on "Industrial 4.0" at a forum Friday.

　　“There are a lot of factories in China that don't use robots or high-level computers to organize production, I think in this respect, China can learn from Germany and Germany's strategy of Industry 4.0 — how to introduce automation and digitalization into production process," Buchta said.

　　"But it's not just China learning from Germany — in some areas China is at the top of the world," she said.

　　Eight maker groups gave road shows at the festival, with programs on intelligent hardware, wearable devices, smart electronic products and robots.

　　Shirley Feng, secretary general of SIDA, said that the festival "bridges" local and German designers. "We hope that their designers inspire us to improve our own designs, and that this occasion may create more opportunities for cooperation."

275 Fortune 500 companies invest in SZ

A TOTAL of 275 Fortune 500 companies have so far invested and set up offices in Shenzhen, setting a new record for the city’s work of investment promotion, announced Wang Youming, director of Invest Shenzhen, on Thursday afternoon. 
 

　　Wang made the announcement at the 2016 Shenzhen Major Investment Promotion Projects Signing Ceremony at the Civic Center ahead of the signing of 31 major projects for cooperation between the Shenzhen Municipal Government and companies from all around the globe in multiple areas including high-tech, Internet, finance, life health and so forth. 

　　The director concluded that 2016 was a fruitful year for Shenzhen in terms of trades and investment. 

　　“This year, many Fortune 500 companies have settled their branches in Shenzhen. For example, the operating center of Apple Inc. in southern China, the Shenzhen innovation center of Qualcomm and the Internet laboratory of Microsoft entered the city this year,” said Wang. 

　　Besides the signing of the 31 major projects, an array of awards were given to outstanding investment projects, industrial parks and institutions at Thursday's signing ceremony. 

　　Ten cooperative projects initiated by both domestic and overseas companies received awards for settling and investing in Shenzhen as the 2016 Shenzhen Annual Excellent Projects for Investment Promotion. 

　　These award-winning projects included the Intel (U.S.) China Smart Device Innovation Fund project, the ABB (Switzerland) New Energy and Power Protection Operations R&D and Manufacturing projects, the Qualcomm (U.S.) Shenzhen Innovation Center project, the Microsoft (U.S.) IoT Laboratory project and so on. 

　　Another 10 institutions including the Industry 4.0 Alliance, Hungary Innovation and Technology Center and France SALVEO Group were awarded as excellent institutions for global investment promotion. 

　　According to Wang, the city initiated a "NEST Strategy" to attract investment from all around the world at the beginning of this year and the outcome seemed to satisfy everyone. 

　　The bureau has higher aims for next year. "Looking forward to 2017, we will promote many cutting-edge industries and advanced business models, such as next-generation communication networks, artificial intelligence, new-energy automobiles and precision medicine, so we welcome all of these companies to Shenzhen," said Wang.

SZ ranks 3rd on creative index

　　SHENZHEN was ranked third on China's Cities Creative Index (CCCI) during the 2016 Shenzhen Management Innovation Dialogue Forum on Saturday, the Daily Sunshine reported.

　　CCCI is the first intercity index in China evaluating the competitiveness of the cultural industry, and this year is the fifth that the index has been released. 

　　The top 10 cities on the 2016 ranking are as follows: Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Tianjin, Nanjing, Qingdao and Wuhan. 

　　One of the main researchers for the CCCI, Zhou Zhimin of Shenzhen University, said the evaluating model of CCCI incorporates four sections, examining the extent of factor-driving, demand-pull, developmental support and industrial impact of different cities. 

　　In order to expand the research coverage, 50 large- and medium-sized cities in China were included in the study. As a result, Zhou said that the conclusion will facilitate the comparison between China's cities from various perspectives, thus enhancing the improvement of policies in order to boost the competitiveness of cultural industries in those cities. 

　　Zhou also pointed out the unbalanced regional development of the cultural industry that was revealed by the research. Seven out of the 10 top-ranking cities are located in eastern and southern China, while Wuhan, a Central China city, made it onto the top list for the first time this year. 

　　CCCI's ranking is closely connected with cities' level of economic development, showing the development of the cultural industry remarkably boosts the economy of the city. 

　　Some other statistics indicate that Shenzhen has both strengths and weaknesses in the development of its cultural industry. It outnumbers other cities in China on the per capita possession of public books and the number of received tourists. 

However, with the ninth-highest disposable income per capita in China, Shenzhen only ranks 46th in the proportion of cultural consumption to overall consumption. 

Pioneering zone inaugurated

　　FINTECH Pioneering Zone in Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Fund Town and Shenzhen FinTech Building were inaugurated during the opening ceremony of the 2016 China Shenzhen FinTech Summit, which was held at the Wuzhou Guest House in Futian District yesterday.

　　High-quality offices and facilities will be offered to FinTech companies in the FinTech Pioneering Zone, while Shenzhen FinTech Building, located in the Shenzhen High-tech Industrial Park in Nanshan District, will set up the city's first incubator for FinTech startups, according to the summit's organizers.

　　The summit, attended by over 300 guests consisting of academics, government officials and professionals from the financial sector, was hosted by the city government and co-organized by the Shenzhen Financial Industry Development and Service Office and the Qianhai Authority.

　　“New technologies are not only beefing up the traditional financial industry, but also expediting the emergence of new business forms in the financial sector," said Ai Xuefeng, Shenzhen's vice mayor, in a speech at the summit's opening ceremony.

　　Wu Xiaoqiu, vice president of Renmin University of China, said China is outpacing many other countries in the world regarding the application of financial technologies, and China's fast-growing Internet finance is changing the country's financial industry in many aspects.

　　"The technology era of the financial industry has arrived, which will diversify the financial industry in China," Wu said, adding that people should be aware of technology's positive impact on the financial industry and also be wary of the risks of Internet finance due to its lack of transparency.

　　Yao Yudong, chief economist of Dacheng Fund Management Co. Ltd., read out the initiative for establishing China Shenzhen FinTech Digital Currency League and China Shenzhen FinTech Research Institute during the opening ceremony.

He said that the league and the institute, aimed at promoting the innovation and combination of finance and technology, will both be located in Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone.