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Shirley Zhao

President Xi Jinping inspected the construction of the controversial Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridgebefore wrapping up his three-day visit to the city.
Xi arrived on Lantau Island on Saturday morning to see work on a section of the structure, which has so far cost Hong Kong HK$117 billion after repeated cost overruns.
Earlier, he attended the swearing-in ceremony for the new ­government, headed by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng ­Yuet-ngor.
Accompanied by Lam, Xi also inspected other infrastructure projects in the vicinity and was briefed on their progress.

They included the HK$25 ­billion Hong Kong Link Road, which will connect the bridge with boundary crossing facilities, and the third runway at Hong Kong International Airport, which is ­expected to cost HK$141.5 billion and be opened by 2024.
Xi travelled on the link road, which was completed in May, along with Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan. ­
“[Xi] was briefed on how [Hong Kong], through investment in infrastructure, is enhancing its connections within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Bay Area as well as with the rest of mainland China, and on the ­strategy of strengthening Hong Kong as an international and ­regional logistics hub,” the ­government said.
The bridge is a symbol of Hong Kong further participating in the country’s development
Lau Siu-kai, think tank official
Although the bridge is a ­controversial project, Professor Lau Siu-kai, vice chairman of the ­Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, a semi-official think tank, said it was ­relevant to Xi’s message urging the city to tap into opportunities in China’s development and to ­diversify its economy.
“The bridge is a symbol of Hong Kong further participating in the country’s development and integrating into the country’s economy,” Lau said. “It is also very important in strengthening Hong Kong’s ­connections with the western Pearl River Delta and the whole bay area.”


Since construction began in 2011, the bridge has also been plagued by industrial accidents and scandals. However there are hopes it may be open by the end of the year.
In May, the Independent Commission Against Corruption arrested 21 employees of government contractor Jacobs China in connection with faked concrete test reports relating to the bridge, raising serious safety concerns.
Last month, the government revealed that 210 out of more than 170,000 analysed concrete samples were found to have been ­falsified. Of those, 159 were from stress-critical locations.
Officials said the faulty samples involved the whole Hong Kong section of the bridge, and all the samples concerned would undergo strength tests.
This followed revelations in February that two seawalls on ­reclaimed land along the east coast of the nearby airport island collapsed more than two years ago due to irregular extensions.
The reclamation involves 23 hectares of land and the construction of seawalls connecting the bridge to boundary crossing ­facilities on an artificial island.
The government said remedial works were completed in 2015.
Ten workers have died and more than 600 have been injured while building the bridge, in a total of 275 incidents.
Airport Authority chairman Jack So Chak-kwong later ­informed Xi on the progress of the third runway.
He also explained the strategic role of the airport in connecting the mainland with the rest of the world as part of the “Belt and Road Initiative”, ­Beijing’s global trade development strategy.


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(170602) -- HONG KONG, June 2, 2017 (Xinhua) -- File photo shows the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge under construction in Hong Kong, south China, July 27, 2017. The year 2017 marks the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. (Xinhua) (zhs)

Hong Kong transport and housing secretary Frank Chan (centre left) speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping (centre right) as Chief Executive Carrie (fourth from right) looks on. Photo: Bloomberg

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