Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Officially Open

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HKZM Bridge), the world's longest sea crossing bridge at a total length of 55 kilometres, officially opened to traffic at 9:00am on 24^thOctober. The opening ceremony took place at the HKZM Bridge Zhuhai Port's Customs clearance building, with the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, President Xi Jinping, presiding over the ceremony and inaugurating the opening of the HKZM Bridge.

The Vice Premier of the State Council, Han Zheng; the Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission, He Lifeng; the Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, Li Xi; the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor; and Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Chui Sai On, also participated in the opening ceremony.

Chui Sai On said in his speech at the opening ceremony that the advent of the HKZM Bridge had significant influence in terms of politics and the economy, with a positive effect upon society. On a political level, the Bridge is the first large-scale project developed jointly by the governments of the three jurisdictions it immediately serves, thus demonstrating the successful implementation of the 'one country, two systems' principle.

In terms of the economy, the new sea link - serving 'one country' and 'two systems' while connecting three separate Customs territories - represents the further development of the Bay Area with the opening of the HKZM Bridge likely having a profound significance in driving the economic development of the entire west bank of the Pearl River Delta region in Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macao.

On a societal level, the HKZM Bridge would also strengthen opportunities for Macao people to have exchanges with those on the Mainland via the innovative clearance work between Macao and Zhuhai known as the 'Joint Inspection and One-time Release' principle, further deepening the development of an innovative form of boundary clearance.

New boundary clearance model for Macao-Zhuhai Border

The facilities offering border crossing services for passengers and vehicles travelling between Macao, Hong Kong and Zhuhai will be open 24 hours a day, with the Customs clearance between Macao and Zhuhai conducted on a 'Joint Inspection and One-time Release' principle, the nation's first border clearance model.

Both arrival hall and departure hall have three inspection areas, in which the 'Joint Automated Inspection Area' offers 40 inspection channels for travellers to complete their Customs clearance, including document checking and bioinformatics collection, within one process. The new model currently applies to Mainland residents aged 11 or over - and complies with both Macao and Mainland automated immigration clearance - and any Macao holder of a 'Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents' who applies for the permit with a Macao ID card.

The 'Joint Manual Inspection Area' offers 16 inspection channels.This model mainly applies to Mainland residents who hold a Chinese travel document, and to Macao holders of 'Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents'.

The 'Manual Inspection Area' - offering 12 inspection channels - applies to visitors who do not comply with the 'Joint Automated Inspection' principle, although they can also complete Customs clearance in one check.

Shuttle bus services connect to Macao Border and HKIA

Shuttle buses are the main public transportation plying the bridge between Hong Kong, Macao, and Zhuhai borders, with the two main routes being the Hong Kong/Zhuhai run and the Hong Kong/Macao run. The Hong Kong/Macao route - transporting residents and visitors between the Macao border and Hong Kong border - provides about 200 coach trips daily, scheduled to depart every 5 minutes during peak period; 10 to 15 minutes during non-peak period; and 15 to 30 minutes overnight (midnight to 6:00am).

Cross-border coaches provide services between the urban areas of Hong Kong and Macao with fixed stopping points, fixed routes and fixed schedules. Both Hong Kong and Macao coach services have an aggregate of 50 quotas to operate services on a daily basis, of which 34 belong to Hong Kong entities and 16 to Macao entities, with each quota comprising one round trip on a daily basis. Meanwhile, the shuttle bus route connecting Hong Kong International Airport and Macao border crossing area provides an alternative route for residents and visitors making their way to Hong Kong International Airport.

In order to complement the opening of the HKZM Bridge, the Macao border crossing area and its connected roads are now open to traffic, with two bus routes connecting the artificial island. Shuttle bus 101X and 102X became operational from 7:00am on Wednesday 24^th October. 101X connects the boundary crossing area and Macao city centre around the clock, departing every 8 to 30 minutes; meanwhile, the 102X from Taipa centre to the border crossing area departs from 7:00am to 11:00pm every 12 to 20 minutes.

Both bus routes stop at the bus terminus next to the Customs clearance building, with the drop-off point on the 1^st floor, and the pick-up point on the ground floor. For more information about transportation arrangements, please visit: www.dsat.gov.mo.