On January 6, the number of passengers traveling between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao via the Zhuhai Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge officially surpassed 100 million. A rainbow spans the Lingdingyang waters; a natural barrier is bridged between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, officially opened in October 2018, has reduced the travel time between Hong Kong and Zhuhai/Macao from 3 hours to approximately 45 minutes. Seven years have passed in the blink of an eye, and passenger traffic has steadily increased, exceeding 100 million trips. "7 years, 100 million people, 45 minutes"—these are not just dynamic figures, but also a vivid microcosm of the "smooth traffic and bustling people" landscape of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, serving as a powerful testament to how China's "hard connectivity" of infrastructure is driving high-quality development and promoting regional collaboration.
A bridge spans the river, paving a new path to convenience for people's lives. The ultimate value of infrastructure construction lies in the sense of gain felt by the people. Before the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the geographical barriers hindered travel between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau. Time-consuming and laborious cross-border commutes, family visits, and tourism were a daily inconvenience for many. Now, the 45-minute travel time, coupled with the convenient customs clearance of cooperative inspections and one-stop clearance, makes cross-border travel as convenient as commuting within the same city. From cross-border students safely commuting to and from school every day to families enjoying weekend road trips between the three places; from Hong Kong and Macau residents traveling north for medical treatment and consumption to mainland tourists experiencing diverse cultures in Hong Kong and Macau, the bridge has broken down geographical barriers with tangible convenience, allowing people in the three places to share the benefits of development, and turning the Greater Bay Area's one-hour living circle from a blueprint into a tangible reality.
The bustling flow of vehicles and people is activating new momentum for regional collaboration. The 100 million passenger trips not only reflect the warmth of people's lives but also the robust vitality of the Greater Bay Area's economic and trade integration and resource complementarity. As the first mega-transportation project jointly constructed by the three regions under the "One Country, Two Systems" framework, the bridge not only achieves physical connectivity but also necessitates the soft integration of institutional rules. Policies allowing Hong Kong and Macao vehicles to travel north have been implemented effectively, significantly improving logistics efficiency, enabling same-day delivery of fresh produce, and reducing cross-border logistics costs, thus strengthening the linkage between the industrial and supply chains of the three regions. The high-frequency flow of people accelerates the circulation of production factors such as capital, technology, and talent. The professional services and international resources of Hong Kong and Macao are deeply integrated with the mainland's industrial base and vast market, forming a powerful synergy for collaborative development and injecting continuous momentum into the high-quality development of the Greater Bay Area.
People-to-people connectivity showcases a new practice of "one country, two systems." The value of the bridge extends far beyond transportation and the economy; it lies in building a bridge of mutual understanding among the people of the three regions. Over the past seven years, from the convenience and efficiency of daily commutes to the surge of passengers during holidays, from the smooth hosting of cross-border events to the rapid transfer of emergency supplies, the bridge has witnessed the deepening of the emotional ties and trust among the people of the three regions. This two-way flow transforms the profound cultural heritage and close personal ties into an endogenous driving force for integrated development, and allows "one country, two systems" to continuously radiate new vitality in practice. It demonstrates with tangible results that the combination of hard infrastructure connectivity and soft institutional innovation can effectively promote Hong Kong and Macao's better integration into the overall development of the country and solidify the foundation for regional coordinated development.
One hundred million passenger trips are not the end, but a new starting point for the integrated development of the Greater Bay Area. Currently, global regional competition is becoming increasingly fierce, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as a driving force for high-quality development, is steadily moving towards becoming a world-class bay area. The successful practice of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge reminds us that infrastructure construction must not only address hardware shortcomings but also focus on institutional coordination and public support. In the future, only by continuously deepening cooperation among the three regions, breaking down fixed mindsets and institutional barriers, and improving the cross-border service system with a persistent and meticulous approach can the bridge's radiating and driving effect be fully released. (Commentary by Wang Jichuan, Dahe.cn)
