A sightseeing bus is seen in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Oct. 22, 2020. Shenzhen on Thursday launched three sightseeing bus lines for tourists, which respectively showcase the culture, technology and night view of the city. Photo:Xinhua

18 measures aiming to make it easier for the people of the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs) to live in Shenzhen have been announced, the media reported on Wednesday, as a way to further improve the integration and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The measures will improve convenience in Shenzhen in terms of education, employment, starting businesses and daily life, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported on Wednesday, to ensure people from Hong Kong and Macao are treated as local residents, making them feel more comfortable.

Shenzhen has made innovative measures such as facilitating the qualification review for Hong Kong and Macao candidates for senior high school entry, Cao Saixian, vice director of Greater Bay Area of Shenzhen office, was quoted as saying by the report, during a youth forum for Greater Bay Area development on Tuesday.

These measures that aim to boost the development of the Greater Bay Area have been pushed forward. On November 8, 2019, several policies were unveiled, with one of the most noticeable being that Hong Kong residents would have the same rights as local residents when purchasing properties in the nine cities of Guangdong in the Greater Bay Area.

For instance, Shunde of Foshan, an important part of the Greater Bay Area, in July also established an innovation and entrepreneurship base to encourage and support young people from Hong Kong and Macao aged from 18 to 45.

"So far, two Hong Kong firms and one Macao firm have started their businesses there," an official from Shunde district of Foshan Development and Reform Bureau for the Greater Bay Area, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Among the measures released by Shenzhen, six mainly involve young people from Hong Kong and Macao coming to Shenzhen for exchanges, compulsory education, college scholarships, vocational education cooperation; three are related to Hong Kong and Macao students coming to Shenzhen for internship and employment, professional qualification certification and talent policies.