Closer ties

FUN CENTER: The Venetian Macao, a luxury hotel and casino resort owned by the Las Vegas Sands Corp., will experience an increased tourist volume as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge makes travel among the main Pearl River regions more manageable (WANG XIANG)

"The bridge can further increase links and promote economic cooperation between Hong Kong and Macao, and between the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao," Vice Premier Li said. "It is of great significance to maintain long-term prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao, and enhance overall competitiveness in the region."

Zhang Xiaoqiang, Vice Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said the bridge would help boost development on the west bank of the Pearl River.

The Central Government is developing the Pearl River Delta area, the former vanguard of China's economic reform, into a new pilot project for the country as it works to deepen economic reform and open itself wider to the outside world.

Under a 2008-20 development plan for the area released in January 2009 by the NDRC, the delta, Hong Kong and Macao will be forged into a single globally competitive and vigorous area in the Asia-Pacific region by 2020.

The NDRC plan maps out industrial development, technology innovation, environmental protection and social welfare for the area's future. It also spells out cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao.

For a long time, Hong Kong and Macao developed their own industries, with each developing its own competitive advantage. Hong Kong is known as an international center of trade, shipping, travel, finance and information, while Macao has become synonymous with gaming, manufacturing, financial insurance and architecture.

HARBOR VIEW: The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will shorten the travel time between the west bank of the Pearl River and Hong Kong (pictured above) to about half an hour (CFP)

The bridge is expected to promote industrial competitiveness in the area, consolidate economic ties and speed up the development of an integrated regional market, said Yuan Zhiping, a professor at the Pearl River Delta Research Center at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou.

He said the bridge will attract more investment to the mainland from Macao, Hong Kong and overseas.

"Many foreign investors are very interested in the bridge project. They care about whether the service industry can be further developed in this area. The bridge can meet this need. After it is completed, it will attract more talents to work in the Pearl River Delta area and will integrate the service, travel and manufacturing industries," Yuan said.

"Through a more convenient and fast transportation network, Hong Kong's finance, tourism, trade, logistics and professional services can better reach the west of the Pearl River Delta area," Tsang said at the groundbreaking ceremony. He added that no efforts would be spared to maximize the economic benefits expected from the project, including keeping toll charges as low as possible to encourage people to use the bridge.

Some economists have also said the bridge will make Hong Kong and Macao direct competitors for tourists from the mainland.

While Macao generally attracts a different market from Hong Kong, tourists from the Chinese mainland would be able to pass through Hong Kong without staying overnight when the bridge is operational. This may have a profound effect on Hong Kong's tourism industry—an industry that depends on stopover visitors.

But other scholars have said that the more prosperous triangle area and the easy commute between the two tourist cities will bring more tourists to both Hong Kong and Macao in the long run.

Zheng Haolong, Director of the Zhuhai Transportation Bureau, said the bridge would also be integrated into the overall transportation plan for Guangdong Province and the rest of the country.

"The bridge will be connected to the city commuting system of Zhuhai. The whole system will even link the Beijing-Hong Kong highway network to Guangdong Province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and other areas. The eastern Jiangsu Highway will eventually also be integrated into the flow to link the bridge," Zheng said.

"With the opening of the bridge, the region is expected to become one of the most dynamic economic zones in the world," Yuan said.