The Chief Executive of the Macao SAR, Mr Chui Sai On, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
President Xi Jinping today inaugurated the 55-kilometre (km)-long sea crossing during the opening event in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province. The Bridge will open to traffic at 9:00am tomorrow (24 October).
The Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), Mr Chui Sai On, said today’s opening ceremony that the launch of operations for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao (HKZM) Bridge will facilitate Macao’s contributions toward the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the “Belt and Road” initiative.
The Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, Mr He Lifeng, chaired the opening ceremony, held at the customs clearance building of the Zhuhai boundary crossing point serving the Bridge.
Other officials each delivering a speech during the event were: Vice Premier of the State Council, Mr Han Zheng; the Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Mr Li Xi; and the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, Mrs Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.
In his speech, Mr Chui said the advent of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge – the first direct-line road link connecting the three places – had significant influence in terms of politics, economics, and its likely effect on society.
The new link was the first large-scale project developed jointly by the governments of the three places it immediately serves. It also represented a breakthrough moment in terms of the construction techniques used and in terms of the coordination mechanism applied to blend together the work of three places that each had a distinct set of public policies.
The close communication between the three governments in building the Bridge demonstrated the successful implementation of the “One country, two systems” principle, said Mr Chui.
The Macao Chief Executive noted that the new land link – serving “one country” and “two systems” while connecting three separate customs territories – i.e. the entire west bank of the Pearl River Delta region in Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macao – would have profound significance in driving economic development of the region.
On a societal level, the Bridge would also strengthen opportunities for Macao people to have exchanges with people on the mainland, Mr Chui said. Customs clearance work between Macao and Zhuhai would be carried out on a “Joint Inspection and One-time Release” principle. The innovative form of boundary clearance was in order to make the process efficient for travellers using the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
Mr Chui additionally stated the Macao SAR Government would work more closely with the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong in advancing the Greater Bay Area, including striving for the further economic development and the improved well-being of the people in those places.
The Bridge was the world’s longest piece of sea-crossing infrastructure with a 6.7-km-long underwater tunnel, and represented another milestone in terms of the country’s capability in building advanced, important, large-scale infrastructure, Mr Chui said. In particular, the Bridge was being commissioned at a historic time, as 2018 is the first year for the implementation of the development blueprint outlined at the 19th CPC National Congress, and also marks the 40th anniversary of the implementation of the country’s opening-up policy.
Following the opening ceremony, President Xi, Vice Premier Han, Mr Chui and other officiating guests toured the Bridge.
Other officiating guests at the opening ceremony were: the Director of the CPC Central Committee General Office, Mr Ding Xuexiang; Vice Premier of the State Council, Mr Liu He; Vice Chairmen of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Mr Tung Chee-hwa, Mr Ho Hau Wah and Mr Leung Chun-ying; and the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Ma Xingrui.
A 140-member Macao delegation also joined today’s ceremony in Zhuhai. The delegation included principal officials of the Macao SAR Government and people from across the community.
