HK companies THE cumulative number of Hong Kong-funded enterprises registered in the Qianhai and Shekou areas of the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone had reached 10,800 by the end of last year, Witman Hung, the principal liaison officer for the Hong Kong, Shenzhen Qianhai Authority, said in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Qianhai-registered Hong Kong enterprises had utilized contractual funds of more than US$102.15 billion from Hong Kong, pointing to an increasingly prominent role Hong Kong-funded enterprises are playing, Hung said. There were only 21 Hong Kong-registered enterprises when the Qianhai Authority was established in 2012 and the utilized contractual funds from Hong Kong were only US$737 million. Ivory beads CUSTOMS staff at Huanggang Checkpoint intercepted a suspected ivory bead chain from the luggage of an in-bound female passenger Wednesday. The chain has 108 beads and weighs 120 grams. The case has been transferred to the anti-smuggling department for further investigation. Ivory and ivory products are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Violators may face criminal penalties. |