Beijing, China – Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter on Sunday to mark the opening of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Cross-Sea Link, a monumental infrastructure project connecting the cities of Shenzhen and Zhongshan in south China’s Guangdong Province.
In his letter, President Xi highlighted the significance of the link as another large-scale transportation endeavor in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area following the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. He praised the project’s completion, noting that it overcame numerous world-class technical challenges and set multiple world records.
“All participants, through their hard work and unwavering determination, have successfully completed the project with high quality,” Xi stated. “This fully illustrates that Chinese modernization can only be achieved through solid work, as all great causes are accomplished through concrete actions.”
The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, which opened to traffic at 3 p.m. on Sunday after seven years of construction, spans 24 kilometers and features two bridges, two artificial islands, and an underwater tunnel. The new route drastically reduces travel time between Shenzhen, a global technology hub, and Zhongshan, cutting the journey from two hours to approximately 30 minutes.
Designed with eight lanes and a speed limit of up to 100 km/h, the link is expected to play a pivotal role in enhancing transportation within the Greater Bay Area (GBA). The GBA encompasses the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and nine cities in Guangdong Province, covering 56,000 square kilometers and boasting a total economic output of over 14 trillion yuan (around $1.96 trillion) in 2023.
President Xi called for efforts to manage and optimize the link to ensure its safe, smooth, and intelligent operation. He emphasized the importance of leveraging the pioneering role of transportation to promote the integrated development of both sides of the Pearl River Estuary. This includes improving the GBA’s “hard interconnectivity” of infrastructure and “soft interconnectivity” of rules and mechanisms, as well as advancing the integration of the GBA market.
“This is to help and guarantee building the GBA into a strategic pivot point of China’s new development pattern, a demonstration zone for high-quality development, and a leading area for Chinese modernization,” Xi added.
The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link is poised to bolster economic growth, facilitate innovation, and enhance the quality of life within the region. As China aims to develop the area into a world-class city cluster and a global technology and innovation center, this new infrastructure is a significant step toward achieving those goals.
Reference(s):
Xi congratulates the opening of Shenzhen-Zhongshan cross-sea link
cgtn.com
