The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge linking the three cities across the Pearl River will imminently open to traffic.　　For the Hong Kong SAR and people, it is a great event worthy of happiness and celebration that such a major cross-boundary infrastructure project of epoch-making, monumental significance is at last ready to operate upon completion of construction.　　Governments of the three cities and the Central Government also attach great importance to it.

As a matter of fact, construction of the big bridge and its opening to traffic is absolutely to the delight of the whole nation including Hong Kong people.　　Just in respect of the scale of this infrastructure project and engineering technologies involved, it is the longest of the same type of highway bridges in the world today comprised of three parts - a bridge, a tunnel and an island.　　As such it is extremely difficult to build, not to mention that the Pearl River's hydrographical conditions are very complicated.　　The engineers and technicians adopted four advanced ideas - upsization, standardisation, industrialisation and assemblisation - for the construction of the big bridge.　　During the construction, a series of new materials, new standards, new technologies and new equipment came into being in time which have greatly enriched and upgraded our country's engineering standards and construction capability to advanced international levels in many fields.　　Completion of construction of the bridge and its imminent opening to traffic has aroused world attention.

During the process, in terms of engineering technologies, major commitment and contribution have come from the Mainland.　　But in policy making and operation including laying down supervision standards and relevant regulations and rules, Hong Kong SAR has given important advices and participated, which is of help for the big bridge to better converge with international standards in management and operation.

More importantly, Hong Kong has indeed played an irreplaceable crucial role in putting forward the concept of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and putting it into practice.　　The ultimate purpose and greatest significance of building the bridge lies in that it links up the transportation network in the whole Pearl River Delta area to promote economic construction and logistics development, directly connects Guangdong province and the two SARs of Hong Kong and Macao together to turn the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area into a "one-hour living sphere", and thus comprehensively upgrade the innovative capability and competitiveness of the Bay Area economy to provide a new driving force for the whole national economy.　　In this area, Hong Kong, which already gains the status as an international financial hub, shipping hub and logistics centre, holds a leading position in many aspects.　　So long as there is "a bridge flying [to span the Pearl River]", various places in the Bay Area could widely expand their channels to the outside world, sailing to the open ocean [tapping new markets] with borrowed ships or by joining with others, and from this Hong Kong SAR will also find its own unprecedented status and value.

Therefore, it may be said that, for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the construction of the whole Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area, Hong Kong is a promoter and participator but at the same time will also become the greatest beneficiary.　　The SAR's future development won't do without the nation's overall economic construction and development.　　The Bay Area is Hong Kong people's new frontier for making innovations, developing innovative technologies and starting new businesses, and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is a golden bridge for creating an economic miracle in the Bay Area.

Today, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge opening to traffic is in sight, but looking back at the past, one cannot help but sigh with sorrow.　　The idea to build such a bridge had already been placed on the agenda in the 1980s and the decision to carry it out made after Hong Kong's return to the Motherland in 1997.　　But the opposition Civic Party incited an old woman living in public housing in Tung Chung to take advantage of "legal aid" to file a lawsuit against the construction of the bridge on the pretext of being harmful to her health.　　The lawsuit took a long time, and during the process construction costs soared and the date of completion of construction had to be greatly postponed.　　As a result, it has taken 15 years to complete the construction of the bridge.　　Out of its need to resist China and make trouble in Hong Kong, the opposition obstructs the SAR Government's lawful governance to slow down Hong Kong's development and impede the integration between Hong Kong and the Mainland.　　For this, Hong Kong people have paid a heavy price.　　The lesson is profound and must be drawn.

　　18 October 2018