Guangzhou, March 2 (Xinhua) -- The practice of "one country, two systems" has opened a new chapter -- a side-note of the operation of Hengqin's customs closure.
Xinhua News Agency reporters Chen Kaixing, Zhou Qiang, Wang Haoming.
"At 0:00 on March 1, with the completion of the countdown on the big screen of the operation center of the smart port public service platform, the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin was officially closed and operated.
As a major exploration of China's implementation of high-level institutional opening-up, the closure of the Hengqin Cooperation Zone marks a key step in building a new system of high-level opening-up integrated with Macao, and opens a new chapter in the practice of "one country, two systems".
A new system of integration between Hengqin and Macao.
At 07:00 on the 1st, Macao resident Cheng Xi walked into the customs inspection channel of the arrival hall of Hengqin Port and showed his documents to the customs officers. After successfully passing the inspection, Cheng Xi became the first passenger to carry relevant animal and plant products into the country through the "first line" after the cooperation zone was closed and operated.
Today is the first day of customs closure, I just bought a bento after class from Macau, brought two oranges from a friend, and came to feel it, I didn't expect it to be so convenient. Cheng Xi said.
Currently, about 1Cheng Xi is one of the 20,000 Hong Kong and Macao residents who travel between Hengqin and Macao through the Hengqin Port.
After the closure and operation of the Co-operation Zone, eligible Macao residents are allowed to bring cooked meat, fresh vegetables and fruits of a certain weight for their own use through the "first-line" ports through the "first-line" ports through the application for filing.
In the past, it was inconvenient to carry some daily necessities and food between Macao and Hengqin, but now I can not only bring my family's food from Macao, but also bring Macao's food back to my friends in the mainland to taste. Cheng Xi said.
From the opening of a new travel inspection area at Hengqin Port in 2020, the "second-level customs clearance" of "cooperative inspection and one-time release" has been applied, and now "the first line is liberalized, and the second line is controlled", customs clearance has been continuously facilitated, so that more and more Macao residents choose to work and live in Hengqin. According to the Statistics Bureau of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, the number of Macao residents working and residing in the Hengqin Cooperation Zone reached 1150,000 people, a year-on-year increase of more than 70%; Among them, more than 5,000 Macao residents are employed in the Co-operation Zone, a year-on-year increase of nearly three times.
Xuan Jianguo, Secretary-General of the Innovation and Development Research Institute of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, said that the level of integration between Hengqin and Macao will be significantly improved after the closure of the border. For Hengqin, which shoulders the two missions of promoting Macao's economic diversification and building a new home for Macao residents to live and work, it has completed an important phased task.
In the next step, Hengqin will have more room for development in terms of rule convergence and cross-border connectivity, which will help further enhance the level of integrated development between Hengqin and Macao, and also lay a better foundation for Macao's integration into the overall development of the country. Xuan Jianguo introduced.
High-level opening up and new exploration.
At 10:47 on the 1st, a white truck drove through the Hengqin Tunnel and entered the customs declaration area. The truck was carrying a batch of goods purchased by Hengqin Jieke Technology *** from the mainland through the "second line".
It is understood that the goods are an interactive smart tablet worth about 3,000 US dollars, which is the first business to be declared after the closure and operation of the cooperation zone to enjoy the export tax rebate policy for goods purchased from the mainland.
According to the latest regulations on the import and export tax policies for goods in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, the relevant goods entering the Co-operation Zone through the "second tier" from the Mainland will be regarded as exports, and VAT and consumption tax refunds will be implemented in accordance with the regulations.
We have completed the customs clearance procedures for the first 'second-line' export goods entering the area under the new policy, and the relevant data will be sent to the tax bureau online, so that enterprises can go to the tax bureau for export tax rebate procedures according to the customs declaration data. Zeng Bing, chief of the comprehensive business section of Hengqin Customs, which belongs to Gongbei Customs, said.
Hengqin Jieke Technology Co., Ltd. is an Australian-funded enterprise operating in Hengqin, mainly engaged in the production and sales of electronic engineering and instruments and equipment.
Chen Jiancai, the person in charge of the company, said: "Now, the transportation from Hengqin to Macao is fast and convenient, and the tax refund process is also very fast and convenient. One of our businesses is to provide services for the University of Macau and primary and secondary schools in Hengqin, and the closure of customs has reduced the operating costs of our enterprise and strengthened our confidence in the development of the cooperation zone. ”
Nie Xinping, Deputy Director of the Executive Committee of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, said that the operation of the sub-line management and customs closure is a new thing, a new exploration and a new case of regional development, and a core policy that highlights the deeper, stronger and wider opening up of the Hengqin Cooperation Zone.
The new practice of "one country, two systems".
In 2009, the Communist Party of China decided to develop Hengqin, and the island with a total area of about 106 square kilometers began to change. After 15 years of development, Hengqin has changed from a border island to a development heat island.
The original mission of Hengqin's construction is to promote the moderate diversification of Macao's economy. Over the past 15 years, Hengqin has taken solid steps on the road of the new practice of "one country, two systems" with this original intention in mind.
The official implementation of the customs closure policy has excited many young people in Macao who have started businesses in Hengqin. Just after 0:00 on the 1st, Zeng Wanwen, CEO of Hengqin and Macao Weiwei Innovation Investment and Development, and a young entrepreneur in Macao, applied for corporate tax exemption status on her mobile phone for the first time.
For us young people in Macao, it is actually a witness to an era and a historical moment. Zeng Wanwen said.
The beautiful notes played by the harmony of Qin and Macao also echoed in a wider time and space. At night, standing on the top floor of the center of Zhuhai across the water from Hengqin, looking out, Macao on the left hand, Hengqin on the right hand, on the shore of the Shizimen Waterway, the lights of Zhuhai, Macao and Hengqin reflect each other, and the "pole" of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is opening its arms to the world.
Chen Yong, Secretary of the Zhuhai Municipal Party Committee, said that Zhuhai will fully support and serve the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, promote the moderate diversification of Macao's economy, work together to build the Macao-Zhuhai pole, firmly grasp the real economy, focus on promoting the strategic transformation of the economic structure, accelerate the expansion of the city's energy level, and build another important engine for the province's high-quality development.
The person in charge of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee said that this year marks the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and the fifth anniversary of the public release of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. We will work closely with Macao to promote the development of the Greater Bay Area, deepen the development and construction of Hengqin with greater efforts, accelerate the development of Hengqin into a demonstration regional development with Chinese characteristics and highlight the advantages of "one country, two systems", better help Hengqin and Macao accelerate integration, continuously inject new impetus into Macao's long-term development, and effectively serve the implementation of the national strategy.
*:Xinhua.