Qianhai

Strategic positioning

According to plans made by the Qianhai administration, as the pilot district for cooperation between mainland China and Hong Kong and innovation in the service industry, Qianhai undertakes four functions:

1. An area that will aim to facilitate innovation in the modern service industry
2. An area that will aim to become a hub of modern services and modern service development
3. A pilot area for closer cooperation between mainland China and Hong Kong
4. A facilitator in the industrial reform and sustainable economic development of the Pearl River Delta

Location

Qianhai is situated in the Pearl River Delta. With the completion of railways and roads by 2020, Qianhai will be within a one-hour commuting radius of the Pearl River Delta and within a 30-minute commuting radius of Hong Kong. The main arteries of traffic in the region, including the Shenzhen-Zhongshan corridor, Shenzhen Western Port, Shenzhen North Station and Guangzhou-Shenzhen Yanjiang Highway all pass through Qianhai.

Industrial Support

The city of Shenzhen, which is where Qianhai is located, is one of the regions that has the most rapid economic development in the Pearl River Delta and mainland China. As one of the most productive cities economically in China, Shenzhen has the highest GDP per capita, foreign export volume, the number of patent applications and the number of patents owned per capita among all major cities in China.

Special Policies

The following policies were approved by the State Council on June 27, 2012.

Financial Policies

Taxation Policies

Legal Policies

Human Resource Policies

Education and Health Care Policies

Telecommunications Policies

Future Leading Industries

As a modern service industry cooperation zone, Qianhai's administration has planned to focus on finance, modern logistics, information services, technology services, and other professional services.

Finance

The Qianhai administration plans to promote innovation and partnership within the financial industry by relaxing currency flows between Qianhai and Hong Kong, reinforcing Hong Kong's position as an offshore RMB settlement centre. This initiative is meant to spearhead the internationalisation of Shenzhen's capital market, as well as strengthen the partnership between securities markets in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Qianhai's financial services will aim to complement that of Hong Kong's, in a conscious effort to avoid direct competition and create a win-win situation.

More specifically, Hong Kong banks will be allowed to extend commercial RMB loans to Qianhai-based onshore mainland entities. The People's Bank of China has also indicated that such loans will for the first time not be subject to the benchmark rates set by the central bank for all other loans in the rest of China. The beginning of this "cross-border yuan loan program has opened a new channel for the back flow of overseas yuan funds, which will increase the yuan’s global liquidity and promote its internationalisation,” according to Linan Liu, a senior strategist for greater China at Deutsche Bank AG.

Qianhai Equity Trading Centre

The Qianhai Equity Trading Centre will provide loans to Qianhai enterprises by launching RMB-denominated wealth management products (WMPs) on the Hong Kong capital market.

Modern Logistics

Qianhai has implemented preferential policies which will effectively allow logistics providers to offer improved and more flexible services across mainland China and globally.

Qianhai Bay Free Trade Port Zone

The Qianhai Bay Free Trade Port Zone is one of the vital components of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone. The construction of 7 warehouses with a total area of 400,000m² has been completed, among which 12,000 m² are for refrigerated bonded warehouses.

Information Services

The Qianhai administration will promote the development of software and information technology services, as well as facilitate the cooperation between mainland and Hong Kong telecom operators.

Technology and Other Professional Services

Qianhai will give priority to the development of innovative technologies, creative design services, as well as professional services such as consulting and management. As industrial reform is now underway in the Pearl River Delta, Qianhai's strategic positioning includes the plan to provide manufacturers with new technologies and other professional services to support their reforming efforts and facilitate a smoother transition.

Urban Planning

With a planned area of 14.92 square kilometres (5.76 sq mi) and total construction area of 26-30 million m², Qianhai is expected to create 650,000 jobs and house 150,000 residents by 2020. According to the city blueprint, Qianhai's residents will have access to a park and greenery within 100 metres (330 ft), the ability to reach public transportation within 200 metres (660 ft), shopping malls, restaurants, and hotels within 500 metres (1,600 ft), and education and health care services within 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) of any given point in the city. In order to attract and retain a creative workforce, the Qianhai administration has claimed that it will aim to establish an internationalised education system, as well as a Hong Kong-standard health care system.

The Qianhai administration has stated that it will prioritise public transportation and sustainable development. All Qianhai buildings will meet international environmental standards, and the energy consumption of buildings will be closely monitored and controlled. There is a planned 150 million yuan investment in reforestation, and investments in clean energy, water and waste recycling as well as sustainable urban management.

Qianhai Enterprise Dream Park

An example of Qianhai's future work environment, the Qianhai Enterprise Dream Park is modelled after the Silicon Valley, with 58 office buildings and a multi-purpose building that can be used as a conference and exhibition hall and an exchange platform. Companies who are planning to move in or have already moved in include the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), Hang Seng Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), China Mobile, etc. Although some companies have moved in, there is still ongoing construction. The area will be completed by the end of 2014.

Qianhai Youth Entrepreneur Innovation Hub

The Qianhai Youth Hub is an area that will become a community dedicated to the facilitation of innovation in young entrepreneurs, providing them with sources of venture capital, the advantage of starting up in one of the most active economies in China, and the opportunity to network with companies as well as like-minded individuals from abroad, particularly Hong Kong youths. The cost of research and startup in the Qianhai Youth Hub will be partially subsidised.

The prioritised industries in this area are consistent with Qianhai's overall blueprint, including innovative technology, information technology, modern logistics, and cultural and artistic innovation. The development of professional services such as finance, accounting, and law, as well as computer science, e-commerce, statistical analysis, animation, new media, 3-D printing, design, virtual reality, and clean energy are strongly supported by the Qianhai administration. The Hub will have facilities that help youth entrepreneurs obtain funds from venture capital, public funds, and subsidies from the Qianhai administration, providing them with the resources to either initiate an idea or continue developing their innovation. In addition, the Qianhai Youth Hub is situated beside the Qianhai Enterprise Dream Park, giving the youth entrepreneurs a chance to network with companies, offers for careers, and venture capital.

In addition to a lab area with facilities such as recording studios and 3-D printing labs, participants in the Qianhai Youth Hub will have access to the facilities in most public labs for free. There is an instructional building where professors and professionals give seminars, career advice, or provide professional guidance to youth entrepreneurs, and an exhibition hall for the participants' work and ideas. International and Hong Kong youth participation in this hub is strongly supported by the Qianhai administration. This community will be managed by the Qianhai administration, the Hong Kong Federation of Youths, and the Shenzhen Youth Federation. This project will be completed by the end of 2014.