The Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, which it had taken two decades to put through – from visualising, planning to completion of construction, formally began operating yesterday to open a new era of high-speed rail for Hong Kong.　　The first-day operation of the Hong Kong section of the express rail link was smooth in general, which could be said to have a good start.

　　As a matter of fact, the opening of the Hong Kong section of the express rail link is of great significance.　　It provides a punctual, convenient, fast and comfortable cross-boundary transportation facility to facilitate Hong Kong residents working, studying, doing business and living on the Mainland, to promote the deepening of cooperation between the Mainland and Hong Kong, and to push forward the integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area.

　　The express rail link is crucial for Hong Kong's further economic development. The Hong Kong section links up to the national express rail network, connecting Hong Kong to the country's three major economic rims, namely the Pearl River Delta, the Changjiang (Yangtze) River Delta and the Capital economic rims.　　The benefits this brings on regional economic development are beyond measure.　　Getting Hong Kong linked to the national express rail network no doubt brings more obvious complementation of advantages and benefits of coordinated development between the Mainland and Hong Kong, enabling Hong Kong to make better contributions to the nation and at the same time to cultivate more new points of growth for its own economic development.

　　"Better Connections Unleash Endless Potential", the slogan of the Hong Kong section of the express rail link is by no mean empty talk.　　Connection of the Hong Kong section to the national express rail network brings Hong Kong new opportunities, and promote sustainable development of Hong Kong's economy, trade, tourism and professional services.　　The Vibrant Express trains rolling along tracks of the Hong Kong section of the express rail link are as if to keep injecting vitality and energy into Hong Kong's economic development.　　The express rail link no doubt helps Hong Kong "dredge blood vessels".

　　In fact, the Hong Kong section is like an artery to link Hong Kong up to the 25,000-kilometre national express rail network, so much so that Hong Kong's development is no longer limited to an area of 1,100 square kilometres, breaking through the bottlenecks of land and talent resources.

　　At present, the Vibrant Express trains already go directly to 44 stations on the Mainland, which is bound to become an important new engine for a new round of breakthrough development in Hong Kong, to help accelerate the flows of people, goods, capital and information between the Mainland and Hong Kong, and to facilitate the formation of a one-hour commuting radius of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area.　　Moreover, the possible extension of the national express rail network into Southeast Asian countries in future will further strengthen Hong Kong's status and role in the Belt and Road Initiative.

　　Right now, Hong Kong's priority is to make good use of the dividend generated by the express rail link to cultivate new economic growth points.　　The first is to take advantage of the express rail link to strengthen cooperation with the Mainland in innovation and technology.　　The opening of the Hong Kong section greatly shortens the time-space distance between the Mainland and Hong Kong.　　Among others, it takes less than half an hour from Hong Kong's West Kowloon to Shenzhen's Futian, which is favourable for exchange and cooperation in innovation and technology between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.　　Talents in this field could conveniently and quickly travel between the two cities to advance their cooperation in innovation and technology.

　　The secondly is to strengthen financial cooperation between Guangdong and Hong Kong.　　In particular, there is great room and potential for development in financial innovation.　　Measures could be pioneered for trial in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area first, to highlight the Bay Area's special feature of institutional innovation.

　　In fact, the express rail link can stimulate more frequent personnel exchange and closer economic and trade ties, to greatly boost demand for cross-boundary financial services.　　For examples, Hong Kong has an important role to play in mutual financial market access between the Mainland and Hong Kong and in renminbi's (RMB) internationalisation.　　Hong Kong has recently introduced in a Faster Payment System, which is, besides to promote the popularisation of electronic payment, also to pave way for achieving mutual financial payment between the Mainland and Hong Kong.

　　In the new era of express rail, integration between the Mainland and Hong Kong will move up to a higher level.　　The SAR Government should take this new opportunity to well map out relevant policies and measures and do forward-looking long-term planning, so as to dig up some new shining points for Hong Kong's economy.

24 September 2018