China opens mega-bridge linking Hong Kong to mainland

SUMMARY

China opened the world's longest sea-crossing bridge linking Hong Kong to the mainland on Tuesday in a feat of engineering carrying immense economic and political significance. Chinese President Xi Jinping was in the city of Zhuhai to cut the ribbon on the 55-kilometer (34-mile)-long bridge linking it to the semi-autonomous regions of Hong Kong and Macau. The $1.5 billion bridge took almost a decade to build while incurring major delays and cost overruns. It includes an undersea tunnel allowing ships to pass through the Pearl River delta, the heart of China's crucial manufacturing sector.

By APOct 23, 2018 11:30:28 PM IST (Updated)

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during the official opening of the China-Zhuhai-Macau-Hong Kong Bridge, the world's longest cross-sea project, which has a total length of 55 kilometers (34 miles), in Zhuhai in south China's Guangdong province on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Visitors chat with a lifeguard on a beach as they look at the Zhuhai-Macau-Hong Kong Bridge in Zhuhai in south China's Guangdong province. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Workers clean a pavilion as the Zhuhai-Macau-Hong Kong Bridge are seen at the back in Zhuhai in south China's Guangdong province. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is lit up in Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Photojournalists take photos of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge in Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is seen in Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)