The "one-hour living circle" has become a reality
The efficiency of customs clearance between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao has significantly improved.To make customs clearance easier, ports between Guangdong and Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao, such as Liantang/Xiangyuanwei Port, New Hengqin Port, and Qingmao Port, have opened, greatly improving the efficiency of customs clearance between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao.
The number of travelers and vehicles commuting on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge broke records.From 2019 to the end of 2023, there were 36 million travelers and 7.5 million vehicles commuting between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
The "northbound travel for Macao cars" and the "northbound travel for Hong Kong cars" policies have been implemented. Since 2023, customs have cleared over 1.4 million single-license vehicles from Hong Kong and Macao, making travel between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao even more convenient.
The West Kowloon High-Speed Rail Station in Hong Kong boasts direct access to everywhere in China. From 2019 to the end of 2023, the West Kowloon Station has become one of the busiest ports in the Greater Bay Area, with direct access to 68 stations across the country, including Beijing. The customs at West Kowloon Station have served over 35 million passengers and 135,000 cross-boundary trains.
The GBA has been actively constructing a world-class airport cluster.Currently, the Greater Bay Area has seven transport airports, boasting the highest airport density in the country. The airport cluster's route network covers major cities worldwide, connecting over 230 navigation points globally. The annual passenger throughput capacity has reached 220 million, with passenger and cargo volumes ranking top among major bay areas worldwide.
The GBA promotes "soft connectivity"
Over the past five years, various regions in the Greater Bay Area have been vigorously developing smart transportation, smart energy, smart municipal services, and smart communities, while also promoting interoperability of electronic payment systems across the Greater Bay Area.
As of January 2024, nearly 25,000 Hong Kong residents have applied for a digital renminbi e-CNY hard wallet self-service card.
A total of 336,800 Hong Kong residents opened bank accounts of banks in the Chinese mainland without stepping out of Hong Kong, with transactions exceeding 18.4 billion RMB.
WeChat Pay Hong Kong now supports Hong Kong residents to make purchases at over 1 million merchants in the Chinese mainland, covering various scenarios such as clothing, food, accommodation, and transportation.
Integrated water resource security
In September 2023, the main structure of the Datongxia Project was completed. In December 2023, the first unit of the Pearl River Delta Water Resources Allocation Project, a major national water conservancy project, commenced its trial operation.
This ensures a stabler water supply for the 70 million residents of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Source: Yangcheng Evening News
