China's first cross-border service App, Qin Ao Tong (琴澳通), was initiated at the 2019 Alibaba Cloud Summit (Guangdong) on Dec 3 to provide one-stop services for Macao enterprises and individuals in Hengqin New Area.

The app brings the Hengqin and Macao governments, enterprises, and service providers together via a cross-border multi-dimensional big data service cloud platform developed by Alibaba Cloud and Zhuhai Da Heng Qin Technology Development under a May 2018 strategic agreement. 

Initiation ceremony [Photo provided to Zhuhai Daily]

Qin Ao Tong helps individuals handle exit-entry, living, and travel affairs and also assist enterprises in settlement, operation, investment, and financing. It is connected to Hengqin's registration system for enterprises that adopt a cross-border office mode. All procedures of plaque hanging approval, settlement registration, and subsidy application and renewal can be processed online.

Hengqin is the only free trade zone in the Chinese mainland directly connected to both Hong Kong and Macao by roads and bridges, and thus has the highest concentration of Macao workers. Statistics show that 70 percent of Macao youth entrepreneurs who operate businesses in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area are settled in Hengqin.

Previously, residents of Macao had to browse at least five websites, apps, or Wechat accounts to acquire Hengqin's transport, medical treatment, rental, and talent subsidy information, according to Deng Lianbing, president of Zhuhai Da Heng Qin Technology Development.

The app supports the new Guangdong-Macao cooperation mode, advances Greater Bay Area construction, and promotes Macao's moderate economic diversification, said Wu Chuangwei, deputy director of the Hengqin New Area Administrative Committee.