Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link set to propel Greater Bay Area's high-quality development

The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, which opened to traffic on Sunday, is expected to boost the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Spanning 24 kilometers, the mega cross-sea passage drastically reduces travel time between the city of Zhongshan and the technology hub of Shenzhen, situated on opposite sides of the Pear River (Zhujiang) Estuary in south China's Guangdong Province. The trip is now cut from two hours to around 30 minutes.

The new transportation route features eight lanes designed for speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour.

The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link is another large-scale transportation project in the Greater Bay Area. It follows the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which is approximately 31 kilometers south of the new link.

As a strategic channel connecting the east and west banks of the Pearl River, the link represents the world's first cross-sea cluster project, incorporating one underwater tunnel, two bridges, and two artificial islands. It has set 10 world records in areas such as bridge span and wind resistance capacity.

"The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link project adopted 10 world-leading technologies in its high-quality construction. The innovative bridge and tunnel technologies developed by the project will provide comprehensive technical solutions and a Chinese approach to the construction of cross-sea passages worldwide," said Chen Weile, construction commander of the project.

The link, together with Huangpu Bridge, Nansha Bridge, Humen Bridge, and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, is expected to further strengthen economic and social ties between the east and west banks at the Pearl River Estuary.

Intercity bus routes connecting Zhongshan and Shenzhen and the Zhongshan terminal linked to Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport were also launched on Sunday.

In the future, the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link will also be connected with expressways such as the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Riverside Expressway, Guangzhou-Shenzhen Expressway, and Zhongshan-Kaiping Expressway.

"The level of infrastructure connectivity continues to improve, and the accelerated flow of people, goods, capital, and information will undoubtedly provide strong transportation support to promote the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as a model of high-quality development and a leading example of Chinese modernization," said Zhou Rongfeng, director of the Highway Bureau of the Ministry of Transport.

Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link set to propel Greater Bay Area's high-quality development

Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visits to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan will inject new impetus into the development of China's relations with both Central Asian states, said experts and locals from the two countries.

From July 2 to 6, Xi will attend the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States in Astana, Kazakhstan, and pay state visits to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan at the invitation of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon.

In a recent interview with China Central Television (CCTV), Rakhim Oshakbaev, director of Kazakhstan's Center of Applied Research "TALAP", said that there exists strong mutual trust at the highest levels of leadership, and as a non-governmental center, it has found that Kazakhstanis' perception of China has shown rapid improvement over the past four years.

"Kazakhstan-China relations enjoy a solid foundation. There is also profound friendship between our leaders, which is of vital significance to promoting further development of relations between the two countries. Each year, we conduct the 'China Perception Index' survey, finding out that that the Kazakh people's favorable impression of China keeps going up year on year," said Oshakbaev.

In a separate interview with the CCTV, Shohkusrav Ayubzoda, director of International Relations Department, Committee on Youth and Sports Affairs of Tajikistan, said people in Tajikistan view Xi's upcoming visit as an event of great importance, and hope it can boost cooperation between Tajikistan and China.

"The visit of the Chinese leader to Tajikistan holds significant importance as the two countries have established a comprehensive strategic partnership. Tajikistani youth highly value such visit, and preparations are underway with great anticipation for President Xi Jinping's arrival," said Ayubzoda.

Dustov Khayom, a local from Tajikistan, has also expressed his anticipation of Xi's visit.

"China is our good neighbor and has maintained friendly cooperation with Tajikistan for many years. The Tajikistani people are warm and hospitable. We warmly welcome President Xi to our beautiful country of Tajikistan," said Khayom.

Kazakh, Tajik experts, local expect Xi's visit to boost bilateral cooperation