Aerial photo shows the Zhuhai Port of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, Oct. 19, 2018. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)
BEIJING, Oct. 24(Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has seen over 24 million passengers as well as 4.7 million vehicles since opening to traffic four years ago, according to south China's Zhuhai's border control authority.
Launched on Oct. 23, 2018, the 55-km bridge, known as the longest bridge-and-tunnel sea crossing in the world, links China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), the city of Zhuhai of southern Guangdong Province and Macao SAR.
Thanks to the opening of the bridge, the travelling time from Hong Kong to Zhuhai and Macao was reduced from over three hours to within one hour.
Besides, the convenience of customs clearance also contributes to the growth of passengers and vehicles. Vehicles passing the bridge's Zhuhai Port enjoy one-stop automated inspection, while passengers can finish the inspection process in as few as 20 seconds under the "joint-inspection, one-time release" principle.
The port, as a vital channel for fresh agricultural products to Hong Kong, provides round-the-clock customs clearance service, which has greatly benefited cross-border trade.
According to customs data, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Zhuhai Port saw total cross-border trade value of 146.95 billion yuan (about 20.25 billion U.S. dollars) in January-August of 2022, among which imports stood at 43.94 billion yuan while exports amounted to 103.01 billion yuan, up 64.2 percent and 55.1 percent on a yearly basis, respectively.
(Edited by Li Shimeng with Xinhua Silk Road, lishimeng@xinhua.org)
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