A NUMBER of projects included in a Guangdong-Hong Kong cooperation agreement released by the provincial government are expected to bring Shenzhen and the SAR closer together, according to Thursday’s Shenzhen Economic Daily.

    The cooperation agreement lays out collaboration plans between Guangdong Province and Hong Kong in 2015, with most of the joint projects related closely to Shenzhen.

    Many areas are included in the cooperation plans between the province and Hong Kong, such as infrastructure, cross-border commerce, tourism, the service sector and education.

    The cooperation projects include the construction of a terminal for bus services linking Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong and the Hong Kong-Macao-Zhuhai Bridge, the design of which will be decided this year.

    The agreement also, for the first time, includes a proposal to speed up the development in the Lok Ma Chau loop area in Hong Kong, which borders Shenzhen.

    Moreover, Guangdong has pledged to streamline regulations for setting up offshore calling centers, so as to draw more Hong Kong-based enterprises to develop in Guangdong Province. The two parties also reached an agreement to bring cell phone operators from Hong Kong to Guangdong with special calling packages.

    To improve cross-border commerce, insurance companies in Hong Kong have been welcomed to establish after-sales service centers on the mainland. The plan also attempts to expedite financial cooperation between Hong Kong enterprises and the planned Guangdong Free Trade Zone including Nansha of Guangzhou, Qianhai and Shekou of Shenzhen and Hengqin of Zhuhai.

    Additionally, the agreement will try to expand on cooperation by law firms and accounting firms in the free trade zone, aiming to expanding operations to the other areas of the province, as well as to train other professional talents like estate surveyors and certified real estate appraisers to offer services to more residents in Guangdong.

    Education and talent recruitment are also major points in the cooperation plan. Tertiary education institutes are set to enroll more students from both Hong Kong and Guangdong Province. In particular, the Chinese University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen is going to enlarge its enrollment of, and academic collaboration with, mainland students.

    The agreement states that more schools will be set up for the children of Hong Kong parents and promises more support for cross-border school buses over the next two years. (Zhang Qian)