Creating a highly accessible economic circle in the Bay Area

A key task in the planning of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area is to create a highly accessible transport network and economic circle in the region through enhancing infrastructure connectivity. The Guangzhou South Railway Station (the South Station) that the delegation visited today is a regional transport network hub and is of great strategic importance.

The high-speed express rail lines currently in operation at the South Station include the Wuhan-Guangzhou Passenger Rail Line, Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway, Nanning-Guangzhou Railway, Guangzhou-Zhuhai Intercity Railway and the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Passenger Rail Line (Guangzhou South to Shenzhen North Section). The South Station's railway network provides access to 13 provinces. Over the next few years, we will see the commissioning of three intercity rail lines connecting the South Station with Foshan, Dongguan and Baiyun Airport. Guangzhou is also building ten major rail lines which, upon completion, will form an integrated transport system connecting the city with the whole country. By then, it will take only three hours to reach neighbouring provincial capital cities and eight hours to state-class city clusters such as the Yangtze River Delta, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Chengdu-Chongqing clusters.

The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link will also terminate at the South Station. This rail line is of great importance as it will connect Hong Kong to the national high-speed railway network. Upon commissioning next year, the journey time between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) Region and other major Mainland cities will be greatly reduced, and it will only take ten hours to travel from Hong Kong to Beijing.

To experience the startling speed of a high-speed train, the delegation boarded one at the South Station and arrived at the next stop of our visit, Zhaoqing, in just half an hour. This speaks volumes about the importance of transport infrastructure.

We will go to Zhongshan and Zhuhai tomorrow to learn about how the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and other infrastructure facilitate Hong Kong people travelling to and from the PRD.

Today, the delegation also attended briefings held by government leaders of Foshan, Zhaoqing and Jiangmen. In the morning, the Secretary of the CPC Foshan Municipal Committee, Mr Lu Yi, briefed us on the development of advanced manufacturing industries, innovation and technology in Foshan. The delegation also visited a production line in Foshan which uses advanced robot technology for manufacturing.

In the afternoon, the Secretary of the CPC Zhaoqing Municipal Committee, Mr Lai Zehua, briefed the delegation on the planning and development of Zhaoqing. We also went to the Yanyang Lake viewing decks, where we had a bird's eye view of the developments in the Zhaoqing New District. The New District is an important gateway connecting the PRD to the ASEAN Economic Community and the greater southwest region. The Guizhou-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway, Nanning-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway and Guangzhou-Foshan-Zhaoqing Intercity Railway also converge here. What's more, public transport is used to drive the development of various industries in the New District, such as business services, freight transport and culture. The New District's 45km-long Underground Utility Corridor, which brings together different kinds of pipelines including those for electricity, telecommunications, water supply, gas and sewage, is the largest single underground corridor project in China.

The Secretary of the CPC Jiangmen Municipal Committee, Mr Lin Yingwu, briefed us on the development of Jiangmen, including the construction of the Daguang Bay Economic Zone. This new district is a key gateway to west Guangdong and the greater southwest region. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in its east, and the West Guangdong cities are in its west. The new district focuses on the development of lifestyle service industries, advanced manufacturing industries, modern fisheries and agriculture.

I and the delegation exchanging views with the Secretary of the CPC Foshan Municipal Committee, Mr Lu Yi, on the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area.		Visiting a company that uses advanced robot technology in Foshan.
Visiting a company that uses advanced robot technology in Foshan.		Visiting the Guangzhou South Railway Station, the future terminal station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, with the delegation.
Visiting the Guangzhou South Railway Station, the future terminal station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, with the delegation.		Attending a forum in Zhaoqing to discuss the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area.
Listening to a briefing on the development of the Zhaoqing New District at the Yanyang Lake viewing decks.		Visiting the Underground Utility Corridor Project in the Zhaoqing New District.
Listening to a briefing on the development of the Daguang Bay Economic Zone at the Daguang Bay Economic Zone Planning Exhibition Centre in Jiangmen.

Video of the Chief Executive and the delegation visiting the Guangzhou South Railway Station in Guangzhou.

Video of the Chief Executive and the delegation visiting the Yanyang Lake viewing decks in the Zhaoqing New District.

Video of the Chief Executive and the delegation visiting the Daguang Bay Economic Zone Planning Exhibition Centre in Jiangmen.

April 20, 2017