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New measures to attract talent from Hong Kong and Macao announced by the Qianhai district in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province will help such professionals settle in the city and boost the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a Hong Kong economist said Sunday.

The Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone on Saturday unveiled preferential policies and measures for people from Hong Kong and Macao who work and live in the city to make their lives more convenient, according to the district's official website.

These measures included providing equal treatment for Hong Kong and Macao people in areas such as housing, education and healthcare. For example, "residents and families of Hong Kong and Macao can enjoy the same property purchase policy as Shenzhen local residents," the website said.

Granting Hong Kong and Macao people the same treatment as Shenzhen local people will benefit the individuals involved and could also boost the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Liang Haiming, a Hong Kong-based economist, told the Global Times on Sunday.

According to Liang, many Hong Kong and Macao people are already working in Qianhai, but since their homes are not in Shenzhen, they must travel to Qianhai on Tuesday for work and return to Hong Kong or Macao on Friday, which makes them feel that they are only guests in the district.

"People from Hong Kong and Macao who can work in the Greater Bay Area are normally high-earning, elite professionals who can afford to buy houses, so the loosening of the housing policies is actually opening the door for them to really settle in the city and concentrate on their work," Liang said.

Lai Ying Wa,, a Hong Kong resident who works in both Hong Kong and Qianhai, told the Global Times that, "if there are preferential policies on buying houses in Qianhai, it will be very attractive for many Hong Kong residents as they are seeking development in mainland, especially as the unrest in Hong Kong in the past half of year."

China has vowed to make Shenzhen a pilot demonstration area of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and building the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone has been a major part of the Greater Bay Area's development.

"Developing cities in the Chinese mainland that are part of the Greater Bay Area requires attracting skilled, experienced and internationally minded talent to work and live. These experts can bring in advanced technologies and concepts, and they can also promote consumption. So these policies will bring positive effects to the Greater Bay Area," said Liang.
Newspaper headline: Shenzhen's new talent policies will boost Greater Bay