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Chinese President Xi Jinping hails Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge as showpiece of innovation and integration
- After two-year delay and cost overrun of billions of dollars, 55km mega bridge opens
- Ceremony with about 700 guests takes place at immigration clearance facilities on an artificial island
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President Xi Jinping opened the world’s longest sea crossing on Tuesday, holding up the new Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge as a showpiece of Chinese power, ambition and innovation.
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Xi expressed hope that the mega project would facilitate his Greater Bay Area initiative as he officiated at the opening ceremony for the 55km bridge, which opens to public traffic on Wednesday after a two-year delay and a cost overrun of billions of dollars.
Hong Kong’s leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, was among the 700 guests who attended the launch, held at the immigration clearance facilities on the mainland Chinese side of an artificial island in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.
Lam entered the venue side-by-side with Xi, smiling and chatting with the president while her Macau counterpart, Fernando Chui Sai-on, followed together with Vice-Premier Han Zheng.
Lam’s entrance raised eyebrows among those who saw it as a departure from protocol for her to walk in front of top mainland officials, but she later advised the media not to read too much into it. She suggested it had more to do with chivalry as she was the only woman among the officiating guests.
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