Five years after the promulgation of the Plan for Comprehensive Deepening Reform and Opening Up of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone, Qianhai has emerged as a beacon of institutional innovation and cross-border integration. The plan, which took effect on September 6, 2021, has transformed this 120.56-square-kilometer area into a dynamic hub where economic growth and rule-of-law alignment with Hong Kong are flourishing. On August 20, the Qianhai Authority reported that since the expansion, regional GDP has surged from 175.57 billion yuan to 331.81 billion yuan, while total imports and exports have grown from 378.05 billion yuan to 757.43 billion yuan — both nearly doubling or more than doubling. These figures reflect the sheer scale of institutional innovation that Qianhai has championed, with 111 outcomes now replicated nationwide.
At the forefront of this progress is the pioneering customs model introduced by the General Administration of Customs, which features 'direct access at the first line and smart connected supervision.' This system allows goods to be directly released at the port, with declaration and inspection conducted after arrival at the comprehensive bonded zone, slashing the number of required customs declaration items from dozens to just over ten. Such efficiency has been instrumental in attracting businesses and boosting trade. The Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation has seen remarkable growth, with the number of Hong Kong-funded enterprises rising from over 8,000 in 2021 to more than 11,000 today. Technology commercialization platforms established by five Hong Kong universities have begun operations, incubating 193 projects.
Gary Wong Chi-him, a Hong Kong resident working at the Qianhai Authority, has witnessed this transformation firsthand. 'There's a saying in Shenzhen: once you come, you're a Shenzhener. I felt that sense of belonging from my very first day,' he said. 'Qianhai has created an environment where Hong Kong and Shenzhen are deeply intertwined. Even while living and working in Qianhai, you can still feel the atmosphere of Hong Kong, so I had no difficulty settling in.' This sentiment is echoed by entrepreneurs like Jacqueline Ho, CEO of Synovate Technologies, a Hong Kong-funded sci-tech company that set up in the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub in 2019. 'Qianhai has helped us connect with upstream and downstream partners such as Siemens, allowing us to establish a foothold in the hard-tech sector in a short time,' she said. The company has secured around 50 independent intellectual property rights and was named to the Forbes China Emerging Tech T30&30 Selection this year. Qianhai now hosts 532 key AI enterprises, including SmartMore Information Technology, Pony.ai, and Fengyi Technology.
For Lin Zhifeng, General Manager of China (Qianhai) Internet Exchange, the establishment of the China Center for Promoting APEC Data Cross-Border Flow Cooperation at the end of July marks Qianhai's growing international reach. As the only national-level Internet exchange center in South China, it has served over 270 enterprises in five years. Its Shenzhen-Hong Kong Cross-Boundary Data Validation Platform has helped mainland SMEs secure more than HK$260 million in financing in Hong Kong, while the cross-border data channel has benefited over 300,000 Hong Kong residents, facilitating the transfer of medical records after treatment in Shenzhen.
These achievements are the result of a consistent approach: turning institutional differences into opportunities and aligning rules between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. As the slogan 'Qianhai, Pulse with the World' suggests, this area continues to beat with the rhythm of reform and opening-up, setting a precedent for China's broader integration into the global economy.
