Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau have agreed to mutually fund the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, which will also see a contribution from the Central Government.
     The announcement was made at the 11th Plenary of Hong Kong-Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference in Guangzhou on August 5. Boundary crossing facilities and link roads to the bridge will be funded by each jurisdiction within their boundaries.
     Hong Kong will contribute 6.75 billion yuan with the Guangdong-Central Government contribution of seven billion, while Macau will pay 1.98 billion. The three sides' total contribution will be 15.73 billion yuan or 42% of the bridge's construction cost. The remainder will be financed by bank loans. Construction of the bridge will start by 2010.
     Speaking at the conference Chief Executive Donald Tsang said Hong Kong and Guangdong will push forward other large-scale cross-boundary infrastructure like the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, the proposed Liantang-Heung Yuen Wai control point, and co-operation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen airports.
     The two sides not only reaffirmed to achieve the 2010 emission reduction targets as earlier agreed, but will also explore the concept of jointly transforming the Greater Pearl River Delta Region into a "Green Quality-Living Sphere". This will include formulating a set of jointly-accepted air quality objectives and post-2010 emission reduction targets.