Employees from Hong Kong and Macao will be granted equal rights to the housing provident¹ fund on the Chinese mainland, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council announced Monday.

 

国务院港澳事务办公室周一宣布，在中国大陆工作的香港澳门员工可同享住房公积金。

 

Employees from the two areas will be allowed to deposit and withdraw from the public provident fund and apply for housing loans as mainland residents do, according to a guideline issued by departments, including the Ministry² of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

 

Under current regulations, urban residents on the mainland, together with their employers, pay a portion of their incomes into the housing provident fund to be eligible³ for low-interest housing loans. The fund can also be used for rent and renovations.

 

The policy is among the latest of central government measures to create convenience for people from Hong Kong and Macao to develop mainland careers.

 

The education authority set up scholarships dedicated⁴ to students from Hong Kong and Macao to sponsor them to study on the mainland, with larger quotas⁵ and more money.

 

The National Social Science Fund will be also open to applicants⁶ from Hong Kong and Macao, who work in universities or scientific research institutions on the mainland.

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