HK-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge becomes 'golden channel' for trade, connectivity

Vehicles line up to pass through Zhuhai Port on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, April 27, 2024. The Zhuhai port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge handled 19,570 vehicles on Saturday. (Photo: China News Service)

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge marked its sixth anniversary of operation on Wednesday, with the total import and export value of goods moving through the Zhuhai port of the bridge having reached 942.7 billion yuan ($132.2 billion), according to customs data.

During the past six years, the bridge has become a "golden channel" for connectivity within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

Trade in goods through the Zhuhai port in the first three quarters of 2024 totaled 164.97 billion yuan, up 10.4 percent year-on-year. During the same period, the port served 3.968 million vehicles, up 89.9 percent year-on-year.

The bridge experienced a peak in car flows during this year's National Day holidays. On October 5 and 6, the daily traffic volume set a record on each day, reaching a maximum of 22,800 vehicles and ranking first in the country, according to media reports.

With the help of infrastructure connectivity, the "one-hour circle" within the GBA has become a reality.

Apart from the bridge, which has facilitated the transportation of cars, buses, and trucks, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, which fully opened for service in September 2018, has provided an efficient travel method for a massive number of passengers.

According to statistics from the railway department of Shenzhen, cross-boundary passenger traffic on the rail link reached 20.13 million between January 1 and September 30 in 2024, up more than 43 percent from the same period in 2023.

A new air route was also launched to increase connectivity within the GBA. A new cross-boundary low-altitude airline connecting Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Hong Kong International Airport made its first flight on September 26, which took about 40 minutes.

The first flight was operated by a general aviation helicopter that can carry 19 passengers and two crew members. The airline's operator plans to deploy additional helicopter types and establish more takeoff and landing points in the GBA to meet potential travel demand.

The GBA is an urban cluster in southern China with a total population of 60 million, including the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), the Macao SAR and nine cities in South China's Guangdong Province.

The total economic output of the GBA exceeded 14 trillion yuan in 2023, equal to one-ninth of China's total with less than 0.6 percent of the national territorial area, local authorities revealed.