Macau

The Greater Bay Area remains China’s manufacturing vanguard with great potential, despite the hard knocks weathered by the tech and fintech firms in the area. Be that as it may, greater centralised technological leadership is a double-edged sword, say Hong Kong analysts Naubahar Sharif and Wendy Weng.

Gambling and casino-hopping have long been Macau's calling card. Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk looks into what else Macau has to offer, and how the local government is trying to wean its economy off the gaming industry, especially given mainland China’s clampdown on illegal gambling.

China recently announced that its space exploration programme will recruit payload specialists from Hong Kong and Macau, sparking excitement for the people of Hong Kong. While the announcement is a recognition of the special administrative region’s R&D capabilities, some believe that it is an effort to win over the people of Hong Kong and boost their sense of belonging and patriotism. Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk takes a look at what this opportunity means for Hong Kong.

The Hengqin Plan and Qianhai Plan released by the Chinese central government aim to deepen economic cooperation and promote cross-border integration within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA). The Plans will involve greater integration of Hong Kong and Macau with the mainland. While Macau has always embraced this trajectory and the Hengqin Plan could bring greater dynamism to the SAR, Hong Kong’s fears of “mainlandisation” and the territorial instincts of mainland cities may present some obstacles to the Qianhai Plan. EAI academic Yu Hong tells us more.

Macau's police have arrested Alvin Chau, the chairman of the city's biggest casino junket operator, on allegations of illegally operating casinos and money laundering. Given that there are 80,000 customers of Chau’s network within mainland China, the bigger implication is that this group might include civil servants and employees of state-owned enterprises, who might end up being traced, given China’s crackdown on vice activities.

Over the past two years, the nine cities (Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan and Zhuhai) and two special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau) of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) have ramped up efforts and combined resources to build a credible GBA Chinese film industry. The authorities aim to leverage the experience and expertise of the Hong Kong film and television industry in its heyday in creating a new paradigm for future Chinese movies. Indeed, many Hong Kong directors such as Tsui Hark have joined the ranks of those who are making this a reality. Zaobao journalist Zeng Shi notes that the GBA has policy support and capital, but can this nascent film industry make good productions and develop a strong identity of its own?

Following news that the French co-owner of Taishan Nuclear Power Plant in Guangdong had written to the US Department of Energy regarding an “imminent radiological threat”, and disclaimers by state-owned majority owner China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) that the assertions are false, Chinese social media has been in an uproar and accused Western media of stoking fires. While admitting that “about five” of the uranium fuel rods inside the power plant have been damaged, Chinese authorities maintained that there has been no radiation leak. Zaobao's China Desk puts together the ins and outs of the story.

Since its return to mainland China in 1999, Macau has seen rapid progress and growth. But despite the impressive figures, issues with governance and bread-and-butter issues such as housing remain. On the 20th anniversary of Macau’s return to China, Zaobao reporter Tai Hing Shing looks at the challenges facing the Macau SAR government.

The Macau SAR is in a celebratory mood, busy preparing for the 20th anniversary of its return to China. On the other side of the estuary, the Hong Kong SAR has been in turmoil for the past four months with no hint of a reprieve. China’s two SARs are facing circumstances that are poles apart. Why?