China's president inaugurates world's longest bridge connecting Hong Kong with mainland

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday officially opened the world's longest sea bridge linking Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China, significantly cutting the travel time from between the three territories from three hours to just 30 minutes.

The 55-km-long crossing that cost a whopping USD 20 billion is dubbed as an engineering feat carrying economic and political significance at a time when Beijing is seen tightening its grip over its semi-autonomous territories.

It connects Asia's financial hub, Hong Kong, with the southern mainland city of Zhuhai and the gambling enclave of Macau, across the waters of the Pearl River Estuary with a snaking road bridge and underwater tunnel.

It took nine years to complete the bridge due to delays, budget overruns, corruption prosecutions and the deaths of construction workers.

President Xi inaugurated the bridge at a special ceremony held in Zhuhai, in southern China's Guangdong Province, attended by about 700 guests, including the leaders of Hong Kong and Macau.

"I declare the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge officially open," he said in a one-line address, as digital fireworks exploded on a screen behind him.

Situated in the Lingdingyang waters of the Pearl River estuary, it will be the world's longest sea bridge, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.

The bridge will be opened for regular traffic from Wednesday.

Hong Kong was handed over from British to Chinese control in 1997 with the assurance it would maintain its own legal and economic system for 50 years, till 2047.

The construction of the bridge started in December 2009 and was to be completed in 2016.

Though supporters of the bridge promote it as an engineering marvel that will boost business and cut travel time, but critics termed it as a "white elephant" and said it is one more way to integrate Hong Kong into China as fears grow that the city's cherished freedoms are being eroded, according to a media report.

The critics also dubbed the bridge as a "blood and sweat project" noting that 10 workers have died and more than 600 were injured during its construction, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

China claims credit for building the world's longest bridge, the 164.8-km-long Danyang-Kunshan Grand viaduct on the Beijing- Shanghai high speed railway.

Chinese Vice-Premier Han Zheng characterised the bridge as part of the development of the Greater Bay Area -- a Beijing-driven project to create an economic hub linking nine southern mainland cities to Hong Kong and Macau.

He said the bridge demonstrates China's engineering capabilities.

Describing it as a sign of successful cooperation between the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau he said, the bridge would bring Hong Kong and mainland China closer in terms of economic and trade activities.

Han, Beijing's man in-charge of regional economic integration, said that the 55-km-long bridge could facilitate the development of "one country, two systems", a framework that allows Hong Kong and Macau a certain degree of autonomy.

He said it was the first time the three sides had worked together on a major infrastructure project.

"It opens up all three places for greater exchange in trade and economics. It also enhances the competitiveness of the Pearl River Delta," the SCMP quoted him as saying.

The bridge would help Hong Kong and Macau be integrated to mainland China, he added.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the bridge would help transform Hong Kong from a "connector to a more active participant".

He also highlighted the three cross-border infrastructure projects - the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong express rail link, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge and the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai boundary control point which will open early next year.

It is the second major infrastructure project which connects Hong Kong to mainland China, after the opening of a high-speed rail link last month. The rail link sparked criticism that Hong Kong was giving away territory as some part of the rail terminus came under the jurisdiction of mainland China.

Additional concerns surfaced earlier this year when officials revealed that estimates for the amount of traffic expected for the bridge had been cut.

A 2008 consultancy study had predicted that 33,100 vehicles and 1,71,800 passengers would cross the bridge daily by 2030.

But the estimate was lowered to 29,100 vehicles and 1,26,000 passenger trips in a 2016 study, down 12 per cent and 26 per cent respectively, the SCMP said.