John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), attended the presentation of plaques to 15 State Key Laboratories (SKLs) in Hong Kong by the Minister of Science and Technology, Yin Hejun, on 25 August. This followed a 2018 agreement by the Ministry of Science and Technology that Partner SKLs in Hong Kong paired with SKLs on the Mainland could be renamed SKLs.
Indonesia’s Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) payment system will soon be available in Japan and China, allowing Indonesians to pay for transactions in these countries by scanning QR codes, according to Bank Indonesia (BI). The Japan launch will depend on technical preparations, including sandbox trials in coordination with Japan’s payment authority, with the outbound QRIS set for launch on 17 August 2025.
Payment gateways are essential components of the e-commerce ecosystem, connecting customers, merchants, and market platforms. This is especially important for cross-border e-commerce, which involves transactions in different currencies and between different countries / regions. In an exclusive interview with HKTDC Research, Airwallex’s Head of Sales, SME & Growth, Hong Kong, Nick Chiu discussed the evolution of digital payments and how Airwallex is helping Hong Kong SMEs unlock opportunities in the ASEAN market.
InnoBlock simplifies the ESG process for businesses by providing comprehensive solutions that streamline data collection, measurement, reporting, and target monitoring. These services ensure compliance with international standards, enabling organisations to stay ahead in the evolving sustainability landscape. The focus is on guiding businesses toward achieving carbon neutrality, helping them excel in both market performance and environmental sustainability.
For the purposes of implementing the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and using advanced standards to boost high-quality development in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), the GBA Standardization Research Center promulgated on 8 May a Notice Concerning the Standards to be Included in the List of GBA Standards in accordance with the requirements stipulated in the Guidelines for Promoting the Development of Standards in the GBA (Trial) (Notice No. 66 [2023] of the Guangdong Administration for Market Regulation). Nine items are proposed for addition to the list of standards to be adopted throughout the GBA (“GBA Standards”).
On 21 March, the Guangdong Provincial Tax Service unveiled 30 tax measures geared towards facilitating a modern industrial system. The measures aim to stimulate the drive for science and technology innovation through implementing preferential tax policies such as a lower income tax rate for high-tech enterprises and value added tax refunds for the purchase of domestic-made equipment by R&D institutions. They are also designed to strengthen emerging future industries and give rise to taxation systems and collection and administration measures suited to various industries. Qualifying modern service enterprises in Hengqin and Nansha are eligible for a reduced enterprise income tax rate of 15%. Traditional industries will also be helped to undergo transformation and upgrading. Steps will be taken to enhance the alignment of tax regulations in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in a bid to optimise the regional industrial structure. Industrial openness and co-operation will be deepened by helping “going out” businesses and individuals to better understand the tax policies of their investment destinations and implementing “refund-upon-departure” measures for cross-border e-commerce exports to overseas warehouses. Preferential tax policies and services will also be offered to attract high-calibre talents.