Hong Kong Chief Secretary Donald Tsang and government officials
from Guangdong Province and Shenzhen held central
government-brokered talks for the first time Thursday.
As
a result of the Beijing meeting, cooperation is set to increase
between Hong Kong and the Pearl River delta areas in large-scale
infrastructure projects.
Officials from the State Development Planning Commission, the
Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Railways, and the Civil
Aviation Administration of China were present at the talks.
Both sides agreed to speed up a number of joint projects, including
the Western Passage between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, pipe networks
transferring liquefied natural gas from Guangdong to Hong Kong, and
an express railway line linking Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
They also exchanged plans for building ports and airports, which
are part of their strategic blueprint to develop into logistical
centers.
Although some of the projects had already been under discussion
before the two sides came to Beijing, the participation of the
central government will take their cooperation to a higher level,
according to the State Development Planning Commission.
Most of all, it shows Beijing's willingness to include the
development of the Pearl River delta areas and Hong Kong within a
unified framework, said commission chief Zeng Peiyan.
"Against the backdrop of economic globalization, the integration of
the regional economy and China's entry into the WTO (World Trade
Organization), it is essential for the mainland and Hong Kong to
strengthen cooperation and plan their future as a whole,'' said
Zeng.
"The two sides should avoid wasting resources in overlapping
construction, and should seek mutual prosperity and
development.''
The proposed Western Passage, which is set to cost an estimated 3
billion yuan (US$360 million), includes a five-kilometer bridge and
related facilities.
When the passage is finished, it will take only 35 minutes to drive
from the Shekou area of Shenzhen to Hong Kong's new airport and 40
minutes to the planned Disneyworld in Hong Kong.
The two sides agreed to build the passage together. The project is
expected to be completed in 2005.
They also agreed to try to start laying liquefied-natural-gas
pipelines between Guangdong and Hong Kong by the end of this
year.
They have also officially begun a study on the construction of an
express railway to link Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
The joint study, led by the Ministry of Railways, will decide how,
when, where to build such a railway.
According to the schemes proposed by both sides, a high-tech
magnetic-suspension railway will be considered.
More meetings between Hong Kong and the mainland will be held soon
after the February 12 Spring Festival, said the State Development
Planning Commission.
(China
Daily February 1, 2002)