Wang Jingli wangjingli0715@163.com REPRESENTATIVES from more than 160 companies, most of them Fortune Global 500 companies, industry-leading and foreign-funded enterprises, attended a joint investment promotion conference yesterday at the Jiuwei International Headquarters Area (Jiuwei area) in Hangcheng Subdistrict in Bao’an District. The 2023 Shenzhen?Zhongshan Joint Investment Promotion Conference was held to promote the Jiuwei area and Tsuihang New District Shenzhen-Zhongshan Cooperation Industrial Park. Qin Weizhong, mayor of Shenzhen, attended the conference and delivered a keynote speech. During the conference, Bao’an District and Tsuihang New District signed a high-quality integrated development framework agreement. Additionally, the transport authorities of Shenzhen and Zhongshan signed an agreement to boost the transport integration of the two cities. The Jiuwei area, located in Hangcheng Subdistrict, is only 5 kilometers from the airport and adjacent to the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link (or Shenzhong Link), expected to be put into use next year, will cut the commuting time between Shenzhen and Zhongshan. The Eastern Artificial Island of Shenzhong Link is located at the south of the airport. The Jiuwei area is part of the city’s efforts to build a world-class airport economic belt and it has also been slated to be one of the important headquarters clusters in Bao’an and Shenzhen. The Jiuwei area covers an area of 9 square kilometers in total and its first phase project focuses on the building of a headquarters yard of 2.6 square kilometers, which can provide various international-standard public services, according to an introduction given by Meng Jinjin, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Bao’an District Committee and executive deputy head of the Bao’an District Government. The Jiuwei area aims to become a gathering place for multinational headquarters and international organizations and institutions, a venue for international business events, a benchmark location for business and travel, and a demonstration area for high-quality services, according to the introduction. “We have many members in Bao’an. It is a very dynamic and modern district in Shenzhen. It has developed very quickly. The headquarters area (the Jiuwei area) boasts an excellent location and a favorable environment. Also, the meeting today shows that Zhongshan and Shenzhen have a strong willingness to build up good cooperation. With the global recovery from the pandemic under way, the prospects for the growth of Bao’an and the entire Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) are becoming more promising,” Klaus Zenkel, vice president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, said. “For any businesses, transportation is always the key as it supports the flow of people and goods. So, Bao’an District has a potential in terms of its geographic location, which is very close to the airport,” said Emmanuel Avemegan who has lived in Shenzhen for about 10 years. Avemegan currently owns a company in the telecommunications and information technology industry in Shenzhen and said that he will consider the Jiuwei area for the expansion of his business in future. Following the operation of the Shenzhong Link, cities in the GBA will become more integrated. Stephan Schikora, who works for a joint-venture company in Zhongshan, told Shenzhen Daily that there can be a transfer of technology and innovation with the new Shenzhong Link. Surrounded by Phoenix Mountain and Tiegang Reservoir, Shenzhen’s largest reservoir, the Jiuwei area also features beautiful landscapes. As early as the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, Hakka people gathered in the area, bringing inclusive cultural traditions. Jiuwei was originally composed of nine villages. Huangmabu, one of the nine villages, is the only village in Shenzhen that has both a Christian and a Catholic church. | 