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The 2026 government work report prioritizes opening up and tech innovation, creating opportunities for Hong Kong businesses on the mainland. They can leverage these policies to integrate into the Greater Bay Area's growth.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China offers duty-free imports of films and equipment for science centers. Hong Kong investors in this sector can benefit from lower costs and new opportunities.

On March 1, new Hetao Shenzhen Park regulations took effect. They enable duty-free imports of scientific goods and visa-free entry for overseas researchers. The rules also support international data channels and a fault-tolerance mechanism to boost Shenzhen-HK innovation.

Four Guangdong departments issued new venture loan rules: no age limit, Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan youth included. Loans up to 600k RMB (individuals) or 5M (groups), rates from 1.75%. Approval time cut 50%.

The Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration have jointly announced that the implementation period for the preferential enterprise income tax policy in the Qianhai cooperation zone will be extended to 31 December 2027. Under the extended policy, qualified enterprises operating in Qianhai can enjoy a preferential income tax rate of 15%.

Five departments of the Central Government, including the Ministry of Finance, have rolled out an interest subsidy policy for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Under the policy, fixed-asset loans and funds provided by the government’s new policy-based financial instruments for MSMEs – applicable to key industrial chains and their upstream and downstream sectors, as well as producer services – can enjoy support in the form of interest subsidies.

Guangdong recently released three action plans aimed at nurturing a business environment in the province that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalised. The internationalisation plan consists of a slew of measures aimed at improving cross-border trade services, relaxing foreign investment access and deepening collaboration between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.

The "Hetao Shenzhen Park Regulations" officially came into effect on March 1. Targeting bottlenecks in the cross-border flow of innovation factors between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, the regulations introduce groundbreaking institutional arrangements in the supervision of personnel, goods, capital, and data. They also establish an innovation fault-tolerance mechanism, providing a solid legal foundation for the development of the Hetao Cooperation Zone into an international scientific research hub.

Several departments in Guangdong Province have jointly issued the "Guangdong Province Entrepreneurship Guaranteed Loan Implementation Measures," effective from March 1, 2026. The measures stipulate that individuals can borrow up to 600,000 yuan, and small and micro enterprises can borrow up to 5 million yuan, with a 50% financial discount on interest, using financial means to support entrepreneurship and drive employment.

The new regulations for the Shenzhen Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone officially took effect on March 1, 2026. The regulations streamline cross-border procedures for Hong Kong businesses and researchers, provide duty-free facilities for scientific research goods, and pilot cross-border data flows. They also establish an innovation fault-tolerance mechanism, offering legal safeguards for Hong Kong-Shenzhen technological collaboration and the commercialization of research outcomes.

On February 25, Guangdong's lifelong learning platform for all was officially launched. Serving as a province-wide, unified super learning ecosystem, a single account grants access to educational resources across Guangdong. The platform features six major projects and five distinctive mechanisms, offering over 300,000 continuing education spots annually and aiming to train more than 2 million person-times. It also provides tailored learning programs for key groups, including workers in new business formats and the elderly.

The Chinese mainland has launched a pilot program for the digitalization of notarized documents for Hong Kong investors across 14 provinces and cities, streamlining the notarization process. Through platform integration, market regulatory authorities can directly access and retrieve electronic documents, and in principle, paper versions will no longer be required. This enhances the registration efficiency for Hong Kong-invested enterprises and facilitates investment and business operations for Hong Kong investors in the mainland.

The State Taxation Administration has issued new measures for the administration of value-added tax and consumption tax refunds (and exemptions) on exports, effective from January 1, 2026. The new rules streamline filing forms, consolidating five forms into one, and relax requirements for filing changes, allowing enterprises to make changes without settling taxes under certain circumstances. This facilitates a more convenient process for enterprises applying for export tax rebates.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the nine mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area saw impressive foreign trade growth. In 2025, their total imports and exports reached RMB9.15 trillion, accounting for 20.1% of the national total. Private enterprises led the way, contributing 64.1% of the trade. Trade with Belt and Road countries surged by 44.1%. Exports of the "new trio" (electric vehicles, lithium batteries, and solar cells) skyrocketed by 311.3%, and the share of high-tech products continued to rise. Imports remained focused on electronic equipment and energy resources, underscoring a steadily improving trade structure.

Hong Kong has established cooperation mechanisms with eight mainland provinces to deeply engage in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) development. Collaboration spans finance, logistics, innovation, and legal services, enhancing rule alignment and resource flow. The SAR Government actively aligns with national strategies, leveraging its "super-connector" role to strengthen its status as an international hub for finance, shipping, and trade, contributing to the GBA's goal of becoming a high-quality development demonstration zone.