In Macau, we all know land is as scarce as a unicorn sighting (2/3 of where we stand was actually reclaimed from the sea..). Enter Hengqin: our coastal miracle!
The State Council has promoted Hengqin as a cooperative platform and is Macau's hope for long-term growth. I had the pleasure of meeting visiting friends and as well as local changemakers to brainstorm how we can add some real zing to this development - beyond the already imposing infrastructure.
On that note, did you know, Hengqin enjoys a preferential 15% corporate tax and some generous establishment subsidies (for a broad array of industries)! We have clients already incorporating as they did not want to miss the train.
I also visited joint government offices and the New Macau Neighbourhood, an initiative fostering exchanges between Guangdong and Macau, where I was pleasantly surprised not just with the quality of the development but also to see community services provided in Portuguese - talk about a cultural blend!
Now I can only hope for the further guidance of the new Macau SAR administration and mainland authorities to really drive this project home - 加油！
Special thanks to Beijing friends, BNU bank Hengqin, and my local retail bank, HSBC.