Hengqin Delegation Woos NZ, Australian Firms in Four-City Investment Push

Summary

A delegation led by Ye Zhen, member of the Provincial Party Committee Hengqin Working Committee and deputy director of the Guangdong Provincial Government Hengqin Office, visited New Zealand and Australia from 13 to 19 September to attract investment. The delegation included representatives from the Industrial Development Bureau of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. Over seven days, the delegation travelled to Auckland, Christchurch, Sydney and Melbourne, visiting 12 leading companies and two business associations in the dairy, health, new energy, tourism and finance sectors.

On 16 September, the Industrial Development Bureau, together with Bank of China Sydney Branch, hosted the Australia-Hengqin Investment Promotion Seminar. Ye Zhen said in his address that Hengqin offers institutional opening-up benefits to quality global companies, including a 15 percent corporate income tax rate for encouraged industries in the cooperation zone. He Quanjun, deputy general manager of Bank of China Sydney Branch, said the bank will leverage its global platform to provide one-stop matchmaking and cross-border financial services for Australian companies looking to establish a presence in Hengqin.

The delegation also met the New Zealand China International Trade Promotion Committee and the China Chamber of Commerce in Australia, agreeing to establish a regular investment promotion mechanism.In New Zealand, the delegation visited Meigu Group, Manuka Health, Westland Dairy and Synlait Milk, promoting the 'first line放开, second line管住' boundary management policy and discussing an 'import raw materials + processing in Hengqin + domestic and overseas sales' model.Manuka Health expressed interest in registering health products in Macao and developing cross-border e-commerce and deep processing of natural bee ingredients in the cooperation zone.

In Australia, the delegation visited Homart Pharmaceuticals and Inner Health to promote the 'Macao registration + Hengqin production' model and discuss the feasibility of setting up China operations headquarters and a probiotic functional food R&D centre. The delegation also visited the Australian headquarters of companies already operating in Hengqin, including Sigenergy, Trip. com Group and C&D Group, and held talks with Boman Group, Comfort Group and Oceania Printing Technology on business landing, cross-border finance and industrial collaboration.

Next, Hengqin will establish a regular matchmaking mechanism to help turn cooperation intentions into concrete projects.

Commentary

The Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin's investment promotion trip to New Zealand and Australia, focused on dairy, health and new energy, sends a clear policy signal to Oceanian companies. New Zealand's dairy industry is highly export-dependent. Fonterra, Westland Dairy and Synlait Milk already have a presence in China, but tariffs and channel costs remain pain points for smaller dairy firms.

Hengqin's boundary management policy, which allows imported raw materials to be processed in the zone and then sold domestically or exported, could significantly reduce the cost of entering the Chinese mainland for New Zealand dairy products if combined with tariff preferences under the China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement. For example, New Zealand dairy companies could ship milk powder base to Hengqin for processing into higher-value products and then enter the mainland at lower tariffs, or use Macao as a platform for brand registration and cross-border e-commerce sales. Manuka Health's interest in registering health products in Macao and developing cross-border e-commerce in Hengqin reflects this linkage model.

For New Zealand small and medium-sized business owners, Hengqin is not only a springboard into the Chinese market but could also become a supply chain node radiating into Southeast Asia. On the Australian side, health companies such as Homart Pharmaceuticals and Inner Health are exploring setting up China headquarters or R&D centres, reflecting long-term optimism about China's functional food and probiotic market. Hengqin's 15 percent corporate income tax rate is attractive for the higher-margin health products sector.

Meanwhile, Bank of China Sydney Branch's cross-border financial services lower the funding threshold for Australian companies. From a competitive perspective, Hengqin's investment promotion efforts may intensify regional competition for foreign investment, but New Zealand companies should focus on synergies with Macao's 'one platform' positioning rather than viewing Hengqin merely as a single policy lowland. The trip established a regular matchmaking mechanism, and the progress of subsequent projects is worth tracking.

For New Zealand SMEs, it is advisable to assess whether their products fit the 'Hengqin processing + domestic and overseas sales' model and to monitor Hengqin's progress in cross-border e-commerce, cold chain logistics and other supporting areas.

Keywords: Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, investment promotion, New Zealand, Australia, Macao registration + Hengqin production, boundary management, dairy, health, investment promotion seminar, regular matchmaking mechanism

Summary in Chinese | 摘要

9月13日至19日，省委横琴工委委员、省政府横琴办副主任叶真率代表团赴新西兰、澳大利亚开展招商引资活动，横琴粤澳深度合作区产业发展局等单位随行。7天时间，代表团横跨奥克兰、克赖斯特彻奇、悉尼、墨尔本四城，走访乳业、大健康、新能源、文旅、金融等领域12家头部企业及2家商协会。9月16日，合作区产业发展局联合中国银行悉尼分行举办“澳大利亚-横琴投资推介会”，叶真出席并致辞表示，横琴以制度型开放红利向全球优质企业敞开大门，对合作区鼓励类产业企业按15%征收企业所得税；中国银行悉尼分行副行长何权君表示将依托中行全球化平台为澳洲企业落地横琴提供一站式对接和跨境金融配套服务。

代表团还拜访新西兰中国国际贸易促进委员会、澳大利亚中国总商会，商定建立常态化招商联动机制。在新西兰，代表团拜访美谷集团、蜜纽康、西部乳业、新莱特乳业等企业，重点推介货物“一线放开、二线管住”分线管理政策，探讨进口原材料“在横琴加工+境内外销售”模式，其中蜜纽康有意在澳门开展保健品注册并在合作区布局跨境电商及天然蜂原料深加工业务。在澳大利亚，代表团拜访活曼特药业、益倍适集团，推介“澳门注册+横琴生产”产业联动模式，探讨设立中国区运营总部及益生菌功能性食品研发中心的可行性。

代表团还拜访思格新能源、携程集团、建发集团等已落地横琴企业在澳洲的总部，并与博满集团、康福特集团、大洋洲印刷技术公司等就业务落地、跨境金融及产业协同进行对接。下一步，横琴将建立常态化对接机制，推动合作意向落地。

Commentary in Chinese | 评论

横琴粤澳深度合作区此次赴新西兰、澳大利亚的招商活动，聚焦乳业、大健康、新能源等领域，对大洋洲企业释放了明确的政策信号。新西兰乳制品行业高度依赖出口，恒天然、西部乳业、新莱特等企业在中国市场已有布局，但关税和渠道成本仍是中小型乳企的痛点。横琴的“一线放开、二线管住”分线管理政策，允许进口原材料在区内加工后销往境内外，若与中新自贸协定下的关税优惠叠加，可显著降低新西兰乳制品进入中国内地的成本。

例如，新西兰乳企可将奶粉基粉运至横琴加工成高附加值产品，再以更低关税进入内地，或利用澳门平台进行品牌注册和跨境电商销售。蜜纽康有意在澳门注册保健品并在横琴布局跨境电商，正是看中这一联动模式。对于新西兰中小企业主而言，横琴不仅是进入中国市场的跳板，更可能成为辐射东南亚的供应链节点。

澳大利亚方面，活曼特药业、益倍适集团等大健康企业探讨设立中国区总部或研发中心，反映出澳企对中国功能性食品和益生菌市场的长期看好。横琴的15%企业所得税优惠，对利润率较高的保健品行业具有吸引力。同时，中国银行悉尼分行提供跨境金融配套，降低了澳企落地的资金门槛。

从竞争角度看，横琴的招商力度可能加剧区域间的引资竞争，但新西兰企业应关注其与澳门“一平台”定位的协同效应，而非仅视为单一政策洼地。此次出访建立了常态化对接机制，后续项目落地情况值得跟踪。对于新西兰中小企业，建议评估自身产品是否适合“横琴加工+境内外销售”模式，并关注横琴在跨境电商、冷链物流等配套领域的进展。

关键词: 横琴粤澳深度合作区, 招商引资, 新西兰, 澳大利亚, 澳门注册+横琴生产, 分线管理, 乳业, 大健康, 投资推介会, 常态化对接机制

Source: Official Website of the Executive Committee of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin