A total of 137 small and medium-sized enterprises were named district-level specialized and special new SMEs by Xiangzhou District at a development conference on March 8, concurrently with the release of a white paper on their development.   

Among the 137 SMEs included are 26 smart equipment and services, 21 power and electrical equipment, and 16 printers and relevant consumables enterprises. To date, Xiangzhou's printing industry has formulated a complete industrial cluster, while the clusters for the other two industries have basically taken shape. 

It's inevitable for Xiangzhou to guide local SMEs to becoming specialized and special new SMEs as part of the district's high-quality development efforts, said Li Weihui, Party secretary of Xiangzhou, in his speech at the 2022 Xiangzhou Specialized and Special New SME Development Conference. 

Plaque awarding ceremony [Photo by Guan Mingrong / Nanfang Plus]

Huang Wensheng, deputy head of the Xiangzhou district government, said that the district has to date cultivated three national-level specialized and new "little giant" enterprises, 21 provincial-level specialized and special new SMEs, as well as 23 municipal-level specialized and special new SMEs.

To bolster their development, the recognized enterprises can receive a reward up to 1 million yuan ($158,313) according to their designation level. The total amount of incentives exceeds 220 million yuan ($35 million). Comprehensive services and support like local procurement subsidies, entrepreneur training, strategic consulting, as well as investment and financing support are also available. 

The Xiangzhou Specialized and Special New SMEs Association, the first of its kind in Zhuhai, was officially established that day and unveiled its plaque during the event. It aims to integrate innovative elements and actively promote the construction of regional enterprise service platforms.

The district took the lead citywide in cultivating specialized and special new SMEs in September 2021 and became the first district in Guangdong to launch relevant awards and subsidies for these SMEs. 

Xiangzhou will further optimize relevant policies to better serve local specialized and special new SMEs, Li noted. Top priority will be given to industrial chain development and efforts to cultivate more SMEs of this kind. In addition, a talent attraction, cultivation, and serving system catering to their demands will be improved. 

In the next three years, Xiangzhou aims to cultivate 30 national-level specialized and special new "little giant" and "single champion" enterprises, as well as 60 provincial-level specialized and special new SMEs.