Bridge work to begin - THE megabridge linking Hong Kong with Macao and Zhuhai will be under construction as of this week, Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Po reported on Friday, according to chinaknowledge.com.
Land reclamation for a man-made island in Hong Kong will begin on Tuesday, the newspaper reported.
The cross-delta bridge could be completed as early as 2015, bringing economic benefits totaling HK$40 billion within 20 years, said the newspaper.
In October, China's State Council approved the feasibility study of the 29km project. Total investment is estimated at RMB37.5 billion. Reportedly, the central government will allocate RMB5 billion, while the two special administrative region governments will invest RMB6.75 billion and RMB1.98 billion, respectively. The remaining will be funded by bank loans.
IP rights protected
THE Zhuhai Intermediate People’s Court Hi-Tech Development Zone Intellectual Property Rights Division, the first in the PRC, was founded on Tuesday.
Deng Weilong, chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Federation of Trade Unions; Zheng E, president of the provincial High People’s Court; and Gan Lin, secretary of the CPC Zhuhai Municipal Committee, jointly unveiled the plaque for the court. Other provincial and municipal officials were at the ceremony.
The Senior Judge Chen Faqi, 42, and his five colleagues will hear criminal, civil and administrative cases concerning intellectual property rights.
Zhuhai has 95 state-level hi-tech businesses, 48 located in the zone. Of 33 enterprises with intellectual property advantages, 23 have settled in the zone, along with nearly 200 software businesses. Hi-tech product output value of the zone accounted for 38.7 per cent of the gross industrial output value.
The number of intellectual property-related cases has a year-on-year growth of 15 per cent. Moreover, new-type cases resulted from network technology and those concerning well-known enterprises, personages and brands are on the rise. Therefore, a specialised intellectual property court was founded to deal with the situation, a spokesperson said.
LPG bus tested
THE first liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bus manufactured by Zhuhai Guangtong Automobile Co Ltd had a trial run on Tuesday. It went 200km and consumed 105L LPG on the first day, using 20 per cent less power than typical LPG buses in Guangzhou. It will be sent to Guangzhou for more trials in a week later if it continues to do well here.
The 11.5m vehicle has a carrying capacity of 4.8 tonnes. It rolled off the assembly line last July and passed the examination of the Tianjin Automobile Test Centre last month.
The bus is powered by electricity when running below 22kmph and both electricity and LPG between 22km and 50km, which reduces pollutants, according to technical director Wang Pengming. Moreover, its mechanical energy can be automatically transformed into electric energy on downgrades, when slowing down or braking, he said, adding that they are planning to increase the energy-savings to 25 per cent.
Customs improves
THE General Administration of Customs has approved a mutual recognition system for land border freight inspection between the mainland and Macao to be launched on Thursday. This will reduce the two customs inspections to one and thus cut inspection time in half. It is called an achievement of administrative co-operation to mark the 10th anniversary of the return of Macao.
The freight inspection result mutual recognition has been expanded from waterway to land cargo and from x-ray to manual cargo inspection over the past few years, a customs officer noted.
Macao trade grows
IMPORTS have totaled $1.16 billion and exports $10.97 billion via Gongbei Customs in the ten years since Macao’s return to China.
Achievements have also been made in convenient customs clearance processes, the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement, and regional co-operation between the Chinese mainland and Macao.
Imports and exports to Macao via Gongbei amounted to $550 million in 1999 and reached $1.98 billion in 2008, increasing at a rate of 15.4 per cent. Exports grew from $470 million in 1999 to $1.84 billion in 2008 while imports from Macao increased from $70 million to $140 million for each of the respective years.
The great change also lies in the fact that general trade instead of processing trade has become the major pattern. Moreover, exports by private businesses rose dramatically. What’s more, mechanical and electrical, and hi-tech products have replaced garments and accessories to become the major exports while the latter have become the major imports.
Finances granted
THE Ministry of Transport has agreed to allocate 176 million yuan ($25.77 million) for construction of the main channel in the Gaolan Port Area, the first fiscal aid to Zhuhai Harbour’s construction from the state.
One of the key coastal projects of the Ministry of Transport under the 11th Five-Year Plan, the main channel, designed for 100,000dwt bulk carriers, is an important ensuring project for constructing a “100 milliondwt harbour” at Zhuhai Harbour.
An official from the Port Authority said that the allocation shows that the developing Zhuhai Harbour has attracted increasing attention from the ministerial officials.
Watergate looms
THE Baijiao Town Tiansheng River Watergate renovation project in Doumen District, the largest in Zhuhai, will be completed next October.
Located on the right bank of the Modaomen Waterway, the gate is one of the key flood-control tidal barriers on the Baijiao Joint Polder.
Within the renovated structure is a 6km waterway 200m wide, which can become an ideal haven for thousands of boats, according to a construction manager.
Aquatic products such as renowned Baijiao sea bass and white prawn are found in the Tiansheng River
