Startups and integration -- A snapshot of China's GBA

初创企业与融合发展：粤港澳大湾区掠影

An aerial drone photo taken on Nov. 26, 2024 shows a view of the Macao youth startup valley in Hengqin, Zhuhai City, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)

2024 年 11 月 26 日，无人机镜头下，广东省珠海市横琴的澳门青年创业谷展现蓬勃生机。（新华社 / 邓华 摄）

BEIJING/MACAO, May 3 (Xinhua) -- I was on a business trip in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) last week. The schedule was tight, but a few details stand out in my mind -- the vigor and vitality of China's startups, and the promising prospects of integrated development.

北京 / 澳门，5 月 3 日（新华社） 上周，笔者走访粤港澳大湾区。尽管行程紧凑，仍有诸多细节令人印象深刻 —— 这里的初创企业迸发着蓬勃活力，区域融合发展展现出广阔前景。

China in 2019 released a development outline for the GBA, which encompasses the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs) as well as nine cities in the economic powerhouse of Guangdong Province.

2019 年，中国正式发布《粤港澳大湾区发展规划纲要》。该区域涵盖香港、澳门两个特别行政区，以及广东省九个经济重镇。

The area synergizes Guangdong's strong supply chain and an abundance of international resources across the two SARs. In 2024, the GBA's gross domestic product hit 14.8 trillion yuan (about 2.06 trillion U.S. dollars). It is seen as a rapidly growing sci-tech innovation hub and an ideal incubator for startups.

凭借广东完善的供应链体系，叠加港澳丰富的国际资源，粤港澳大湾区实现深度协同发展。2024 年，大湾区生产总值达 14.8 万亿元人民币（约合 2.06 万亿美元），已成为全球瞩目的科技创新高地和初创企业成长沃土。

During my trip, I met many young entrepreneurs -- ambitious, energetic and resourceful ones who are grasping the opportunities of the GBA and riding the wave of tech-driven development. Among them were young people from Macao, as the region is turning to strategic economic diversification.

走访期间，众多年轻创业者令人眼前一亮。他们怀揣雄心、充满干劲，凭借过人智慧，积极把握大湾区发展机遇，投身科技发展浪潮。其中，不少澳门青年尤为引人关注，他们正以实际行动推动澳门经济多元化发展。

Ken Lai, 40, began his entrepreneurship journey in the GBA in 2018. After two years of preparations, he founded AKL Intelligence Technology Limited, a company focusing on intelligent pilot systems.

40 岁的赖健明于 2018 年在大湾区开启创业征程。经过两年精心筹备，他创立 AKL 智能科技有限公司，专注智能飞行系统研发。

Last year, Lai made a foray into the emerging low-altitude economy by rolling out an intelligent tourism product that enables tourists with no filming experience to try their hand at aerial photography and videography.

去年，赖健明进军新兴低空经济领域，推出智能旅游产品，让毫无拍摄经验的游客也能体验空中摄影的乐趣。

"We have established cooperation with some scenic areas in cities such as Hengqin and Zhongshan in Guangdong, and we are promoting our products to more mainland cities," Lai told me, noting that his company's latest product would debut in Guizhou -- a popular province for tourism in southwest China -- during the May Day holiday.

赖健明介绍：“我们已与广东横琴、中山等地景区建立合作，目前正积极向更多内地城市推广产品。” 他还透露，公司最新产品将于五一假期在西南旅游大省贵州亮相。

In 2022, Lai opened a branch in Hengqin, which is a frontier of the integrated development of the GBA, as part of his efforts to tap into the broader market of the Chinese mainland.

2022 年，赖健明在横琴设立分公司。作为大湾区融合发展的前沿阵地，

An island with the nearest distance of merely 187 meters from Macao, Hengqin is attracting more young people from the SAR to start up businesses and achieve personal development there.

横琴与澳门直线距离仅 187 米，正吸引越来越多澳门青年前来创业发展。

"Although we are currently a small company with a team of 20-odd members, we position ourselves as one open to the international market, while being based in Hengqin can help us scale up quickly," Lai said.

“尽管目前公司规模不大，团队仅有二十余人，但我们立足横琴，面向国际市场。这里的发展环境，将助力公司快速成长。” 赖健明说。

Lai's choice is not difficult to understand: If you have an opportunity to strengthen your career in a location near your home, and where varied supportive measures are accessible, why would you not?

赖健明的选择并不难理解：在家乡附近就有机会拓展事业，还能享受到各种扶持措施，何乐而不为呢？

Since the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin was officially established in 2021, more than 6,000 Macao-funded enterprises have made it home, achieving an added value of more than 3 billion yuan last year, according to the cooperation zone's statistics bureau.

据横琴粤澳深度合作区统计局数据显示，自 2021 年横琴粤澳深度合作区正式成立以来，已有 6000 多家澳门投资企业落户，去年实现增加值超过 30 亿元人民币。

The Macao SAR also sees Hengqin as key to its appropriate economic diversification. At a press conference during our stay in Macao, Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai expressed his hope that Macao youth would "walk out of their comfort zone and integrate with the GBA."

澳门特别行政区同样将横琴视为推动经济适度多元发展的关键。在笔者访澳期间的新闻发布会上，澳门特区行政长官贺一诚鼓励澳门青年 “走出舒适区，积极融入大湾区”。

An aerial drone photo taken on Nov. 26, 2024 shows a view of the financial island in Hengqin, Zhuhai City, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)

2024 年 11 月 26 日，无人机拍摄的广东省珠海市横琴金融岛，展现出一派繁荣景象。（新华社 / 邓华 摄）

We spent one day touring the cooperation zone in Hengqin. It felt like I took in an enormous amount of information. I was dazzled by a cluster of high-tech platforms in the form of laboratories, incubators and industrial parks, which have gathered a large cohort of cutting-edge talent, as well as entrepreneurs engaged in sectors ranging from integrated circuits and health to traditional Chinese medicine and cross-border commerce.

在横琴粤澳深度合作区的一日走访中，各类信息令人应接不暇。实验室、孵化器、产业园等高科技平台星罗棋布，汇聚了大量顶尖人才，以及来自集成电路、医疗健康、中医药、跨境贸易等领域的创业者。

We visited TrueHealth, a medical technology enterprise founded by Macao resident Zhang Haoren in 2018. Capitalizing on the vast potential of the GBA, the company moved its headquarters to Hengqin in 2023.

我们参观了由澳门居民张昊仁于 2018 年创立的医疗科技企业 —— 真健康医疗科技有限公司。凭借大湾区的巨大潜力，该公司于 2023 年将总部迁至横琴。

I was most impressed by its medical device for extracorporeal organ preservation and repair. In a transparent container I saw a pig lung that, we were informed, was extracted at about 4 a.m. and transferred to the device at 8 a.m., meaning it experienced four hours of organic damage. By the time we saw it, which was roughly 11:40 a.m., the lung had recovered many of its normal functions, with the machine displaying the message, "Pulmonary alveolar inflation response is good."

该公司研发的体外器官保存与修复设备令人印象深刻。在一个透明容器内，一个猪肺正进行修复。据介绍，该猪肺凌晨 4 点取出，8 点放入设备，经历 4 小时损伤后，到上午 11 点 40 分，已恢复多项正常功能，设备显示 “肺泡充气反应良好”。

Zhang, who is also CEO of TrueHealth, told us that while extracorporeal organ preservation requires low temperatures in most cases around the world, TrueHealth's product can preserve an organ at 25 degrees Celsius -- close to the human body temperature -- for as long as 48 hours, giving rise to the possibility of organ transfers in certain difficult scenarios.

公司首席执行官张昊仁介绍，目前全球多数体外器官保存依赖低温环境，而其产品可在 25 摄氏度（接近人体体温）下保存器官长达 48 小时，为复杂条件下的器官移植提供了新可能。

"Previously, about 90 percent of organ preservation fluid was imported. We are working faster to accelerate the accessibility of a domestic alternative," she said.

“此前，我国约 90% 的器官保存液依赖进口。我们正加快研发，推动国产替代早日实现。” 张昊仁表示。

She noted that based on its portable organ repair device, TrueHealth is helping to build an "express air service for organ transfers," aiming to minimize the duration of organ transportation while ensuring organs are transferred alive. "Nothing is more important than life," she said.

她还透露，基于便携式器官修复设备，公司正打造 “器官转运空中快线”，力求在最短时间内完成器官转运，保障器官活性。“生命至上，没有什么比挽救生命更重要。” 张昊仁说。

Zhang's words reminded me of an old-school advertisement catchphrase that went something like, "Sci-tech can change lives." This was the reality here, and I know for sure that what I saw during my trip was just the tip of the iceberg.

张昊仁的话让我想起一句经典的广告语：“科技改变生活。” 这正是这里的真实写照，而且我深知，这次所见所闻不过是大湾区发展的冰山一角。

In a world full of turbulence and uncertainty, I feel something certain: Chinese sci-tech professionals and startups never yield to or worry about technological bottlenecks. They never waste time on the matters of others, but race against time to make themselves better.

在当今充满不确定性的国际环境下，有一点始终清晰可见：中国科技工作者和初创企业无惧技术挑战，不为外界干扰所动，争分夺秒、砥砺前行。

This eye-opening trip also assured me of the prospects of the GBA's integrated development. From the flourishing cooperation zone in Hengqin to the crowds of people from Hong Kong and Macao who visit Guangdong at the weekends, I see a closely bonded GBA.

此次走访，更让我对大湾区融合发展充满信心。从繁荣发展的横琴合作区，到周末往来港澳与广东的人群，处处彰显着大湾区日益紧密的融合态势。

When we passed the Hengqin port on our departure from Macao, I snapped an amazing picture that captured the University of Macao and the Hengqin port building in the same frame. It is worth noting that port clearance took me less than 10 minutes, and I have been told it is usually even more time-efficient for Macao residents.

离开澳门途经横琴口岸时，我拍下一张照片，澳门大学与横琴口岸大楼同框入镜。值得一提的是，通关全程不到 10 分钟，据了解，澳门居民通关通常更为便捷。

The executive committee of the cooperation zone in Hengqin has said that it hopes that Macao residents visiting Hengqin will no longer need any certificates to travel by October. Instead, they can simply scan their face at the port in a process as convenient as taking the subway.

横琴粤澳深度合作区执行委员会透露，力争今年 10 月前实现澳门居民免证通关，届时只需 “刷脸” 即可快速通关，便利程度堪比乘坐地铁。

Mio Weng Loi, a dermatologist from Macao, was granted a physician's qualification license and began working at a medical institution in Hengqin last year. He shuttles between Macao and Hengqin each day.

澳门皮肤科医生翁磊去年获得执业资格，目前在横琴一家医疗机构工作，每日往返两地。

He said that what stands out most about working in Hengqin for him is that he can get firsthand information about policy supports and market trends there, which is a big help for his future planning.

他表示，在横琴工作的一大优势，在于能够第一时间掌握政策动态和市场趋势，这对个人职业发展规划大有裨益。

"You'd better come and see what is happening here with your own eyes," Mio said. All sectors will find opportunities in what is potentially the most prosperous consumer market in the GBA, he said. And I agree with him.

“百闻不如一见，建议大家亲自来感受这里的发展活力。” 翁磊说，“在大湾区这片潜力巨大的消费市场，各行各业都能找到发展机遇。” 对此，我深表认同。