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.

SZ attracts 229 Global 500 firms

 The Pearl River Delta region had attracted a total of 276 Fortune Global 500 enterprises for investment by the end of December 2020, among which 256 invested in Guangzhou and 229 invested in Shenzhen.

According to Fortune Global 500’s 2021 investment report in Guangdong released Tuesday, 350 Fortune Global 500 enterprises have invested in 2,416 enterprises in Guangdong Province, with accumulative registered capital scale at US$180.7 billion. Among the enterprises, 93 percent are located in the Pearl River Delta area and 67.5 percent, or 1,632, are located in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

The investments of Fortune Global 500 enterprises in Guangdong ranked third in China, following Beijing and Shanghai.

In terms of overseas investments by Fortune Global 500 firms, 83.6 percent came from Asia, with Hong Kong taking up 60 percent followed by Singapore at 32 percent during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the report showed.

In the secondary industry, overseas investments by Fortune Global 500 firms in Guangdong mainly focus on energy manufacturing and supply, with registered capital of US$13.88 billion, taking up 97.8 percent of the industry’s total registered capital by these firms.

In the tertiary industry, investments by these firms are mainly in business services, whose combined registered capitals reached US$6.96 billion, taking up over 50 percent of their total registered capital invested in the tertiary industory.

SZ launches one-stop foreign investment online service

 Shenzhen's commerce bureau officially launched its Foreign Investment Service Zone on the “Shen i Qi” website (www.szsiq.com) Monday.

The one-stop online service aims to meet foreign-invested enterprises’ needs in business operations and further enhance the rule of law, internationalization and foreign investment facilitation in Shenzhen, bureau officials said.

The service zone features three main sections, namely business operation, investment and taxation, and information submission.

Business operation services cover corporate establishment, alteration, cancellation, social security and housing allowance registration. Investment and taxation services cover bank account opening appointment, foreign currency registration appointment, visa processing, real-name taxation certification and invoice application. The information submission section features information report modification and annual report filings by foreign-invested corporations and foreign representative offices.

The launch of the online service is part of the city’s slew of measures to attract foreign capital.

Fair brings together world’s most inventive design resources

 Themed “New Habitats: Design is the New Discipline,” the ninth Shenzhen International Industrial Design Fair (SZIDF) kicked off at Hall 2 of Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian District yesterday.

The three-day online and offline fair aims to showcase excellent global industrial design, explore various possibilities for design-driven industrial upgrading, and utilize industrial design’s leading role in industrial development.

Uwe Cremering, CEO of iF International Design GmbH, which organizes the iF Design Award, one of the world’s most prestigious design competitions, delivered a keynote speech via video at the opening ceremony.

“In recent years, we’ve seen SZIDF becoming a milestone in Shenzhen design and one of the most influential design events in the world,” Cremering said.

According to Cremering, Shenzhen has a solid industrial foundation for design. It allows international talents to demonstrate their abilities while also promoting the integration of Shenzhen’s innovative design with emerging industries.

“The introduction of international design resources promotes Shenzhen design and manufacturing to establish cooperative relations with international design masters and institutions, enhancing the design innovation and international competitiveness of Shenzhen and China,” he said.

In 2021, the total number of iF Design Award winners in China is 1,218, with 398 from Shenzhen. The city has ranked first in China for 10 consecutive years, according to Cremering.

“We think that from this fair, we have a better understanding and dialogue with Chinese companies to understand what they really need, so that we can link our resources to the needs of Chinese companies,” Jorg van den Hoven, president of China Europe Branding Association, said.

The Great One Award awards ceremony, one of the fair’s most anticipated events, also took place yesterday. Coal mining solutions developed by the User-centered Design department of Huawei took home the top honor.

This year’s fair includes more than 6,000 high-quality ideas from all over the world, covering over 10 categories such as intelligent robots, new energy and autonomous autos, smart home appliances, cultural innovation, smart health, and beauty and personal care items.

A total of 312 domestic and international exhibitors are participating in the fair, including seven specially invited overseas exhibition groups from the Netherlands, Denmark and other nations and regions.

SZ to offer subsidies to stimulate marine economy development

 Enterprises, research institutes and higher learning institutions applying their products and services in the marine sector or applying their marine research achievements in non-marine sectors can expect to receive subsidies from the Shenzhen government, Shenzhen Economic Daily reported.

The subsidies will amount to 20 percent of the price stated in their procurement or technological service contracts, and capped at 10 million yuan (US$1.58 million), according to a recently released draft plan by Shenzhen’s planning and natural resources bureau.

This is one of the 12 measures mulled by the city to encourage high-quality development of the marine economy. The plan supports marine enterprises to set up research institutes or invest in industrial projects, and support research institutes or higher learning institutions to set up branches in Shenzhen.

The city will offer rewards to marine projects supported by national- or provincial-level special funds equivalent to 50 percent of its self-financing funds and the subsidy will be capped at 10 million yuan. The combined fund awarded by the national, provincial and municipal authorities will not exceed 50 percent of the total investment of a project.

Newly registered marine enterprises will be rewarded an amount equivalent to 50 percent of their local revenue contribution within three years after registration, with a cap at 1.5 million yuan.

High-growth marine enterprises whose average revenue or net profit growth rate over the last two years is not less than 10 percent will be rewarded an amount equivalent to 40 percent of their local revenue contribution, with a cap at 1 million yuan, according to the measures.

The government will also support new product testing by offering subsides equivalent to 50 percent of the total expenditures, with a cap of 1 million yuan.

SZ to pilot quality infrastructure development

 Shenzhen has been chosen as the first Chinese city to pilot high-quality infrastructure development, according to an approval of the National Development and Reform Commission recently publicized on its official website.

The pilot high-quality infrastructure development program includes traditional infrastructures in transportation, energy, water conservation, logistics and public works. It also covers new infrastructures such as AI, industrial internet and IoT (Internet of Things).

By 2025, the city’s infrastructure construction scale and innovation level will join the ranks of leading groups in the world. Its traditional facilities will be deeply integrated with new ones; and infrastructure-supported new social and economic development modes, and business modes will be formed.

According to the Shenzhen Municipal Development and Reform Commission, the pilot will be developed around four “crossovers” — crossing the border to lead development, crossing regions to synergize development, crossing domains to coordinate development and crossing cutting-edge technologies to integrate development.

The commission also states that to attain these goals, the city will push forward the construction of some major projects and platforms.

As Shenzhen aims to be an international comprehensive transport hub, it will break institutional barriers and establish highly efficient, balanced and coordinated mechanisms for the hub’s development. It will also push forward the transformations of advanced manufacturing and modern service industries from infrastructure-based to internet or platform-based, thus forging emerging economic growth points.

In terms of cross-regional development, the city will enhance cross-city infrastructure connectivity and Shenzhen Metropolis Circle’s integrated operation and maintenance system under the guidance of joint infrastructure planning, construction and management, and mutual service sharing.

In terms of cross-domain coordinated development, the city will coordinate planning and spatial layout of traditional infrastructures in transportation, energy, water conservation and urban security, and ensure infrastructure resource sharing, joint facility construction and mutual space utilization.

Shenzhen will apply new infrastructures onto traditional ones and make these traditional transportation, energy and public works infrastructures more intelligent.

---

分享到：

City to boost satellite-related industries

 Shenzhen is now collecting industrial key projects relating to satellites and their applications to seek the industrial development opportunities and constructing “satellite+” innovation ecology.

The projects include six orientations, namely demonstrations of special application scenarios, research on major equipment and key spare parts, key technologies’ research and innovative applications, core products and spare parts industrialization, civil use and public service platform infrastructure construction and major industries’ public service platform.

This June, in a move to be a global satellite and applied industrial innovation pinnacle, Shenzhen Municipal Development and Reform Commission unveiled a regulation covering 16 innovation measures from five aspects including advancing application scenarios, enhancing innovation capabilities and consolidating infrastructures.

Shenzhen will offer a subsidy up to 200 million yuan (US$31.43 million) for a single satellite project and up to 50 million yuan for satellite launch insurance.

In the regulation, the city encourages the integration of satellites with different industries to forge different application scenarios, supporting application of satellite technologies in different industries like transportation and logistics, marine economy, natural resources, urban safety and environmental protection. For demonstration projects with great market potentials, the city will provide subsidies up to 30 million yuan a year.

The city supports private enterprises in construction of civil space infrastructures like the high-powered broadband communications satellite system and will offer subsidies up to 200 million yuan for a single project and 50 million for launch insurance.

The city also supports leading enterprises to set up satellite industrial parks and to form an industrial cluster in chip research, telecommunications research and developments, remote sensing data treatment and research and operations of intelligent satellites.

For research on major facilities, core technologies and key spare parts relating to comprehensive and integrated application of communications, navigation and sensing, the city will offer subsidies up to 300 million yuan.

Shenzhen has made solid progress in the development of its satellite industries and its global influence has kept increasing in recent years.

In December 2018, the first satellite for the Hongyan constellation, which is comprised of hundreds of satellites in the first phase, was launched. It was the first national-level commercial space project developed by Shenzhen Aerospace Dongfanghong Development Ltd. After completion, the constellation will provide services in various areas, including Internet of Things (IoT), intelligent terminals, mobile broadcast, navigation enhancement and broadband.

In September 2019, China’s first polar-observing satellite, BNU-1, which was made in Shenzhen, was launched. In one year, it obtained more than 2,500 images covering the Arctic and Antarctic regions. It is the first member of China’s polar observation satellite constellation, which will have a total of 24 satellites. Supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the satellite was designed by Beijing Normal University and jointly developed by China Great Wall Industry Corp. and Shenzhen Aerospace Dongfanghong Satellite Co. Ltd.

In July 2020, a high-powered broadband communications satellite, Apstar 6D, designed to provide internet access to airline passengers, cruise ships, fishing vessels, and other mobile users, was successfully launched aboard a Chinese Long March 3B rocket. This made Shenzhen become the second city in China that owns a communications satellite.

It is estimated that the market of satellite mobile communications terminals will reach 8 billion yuan in the coming five years. The city will support enterprises developing core products related to satellites and its applications, research and scientific achievement transformations of satellite terminals, BeiDou navigation system, liquid crystal phased array antenna and remote sensing mapping equipment.