The Guangdong-Macao Deep Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Guangdong Province, has seen accelerated growth as more and more Macao businesses and traders have chosen to set up shop there over the past three years.

The zone has played a key role in creating a new platform for the sustainable and diversified development of Macao’s economy. It offers a new environment for comfortable living and employment for Macao residents and strengthens the implementation of the “one country, two systems” principle.

According to a statement from the zone released on Friday, 6,365 companies from the Macao SAR have settled in the area by the end of July, an increase of 37.27 percent compared with 2021, when the zone was established.

The statement said preliminary calculations showed that in the first half of 2024, the added value of Macao-financed industries in the zone reached 1.88 billion yuan ($269 million), with an actual growth rate of 125.9 percent.

According to the statement, the zone, located at the mouth of the Pearl River, has become a hub for young entrepreneurs and talents from Macao, contributing greatly to the integrated development of Guangdong and Macao.

Moreover, as a new demonstration area of ​​Guangdong-Macao cooperation, the project promotes the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and helps Macao further integrate with the home country’s development strategy, the statement said.

The zone’s rapid development is contributing to the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland this year, it added.