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SCMP Reporter

ZHUHAI municipal government has made infrastructure development a priority of the city's special economic zone.

  Zhuhai Port, 50 per cent owned by Hong Kong's Hutchison Whampoa will play a key role in that advance, the vice-mayor said.

  Chen Huanli , also vice-director of Zhuhai's planning committee, said the city's future development depended on improving its transport links.

  'The future development of Zhuhai Port will play the most important role in our entire economy. And a successful port will rely on other supporting projects, such as the Guangzhou-Zhuhai railway and highway,' he said.

  Phase one of Zhuhai Port, formerly known as Gaolan Port, has been completed.

  Its two berths can handle vessels of 20,000 deadweight tonnes.

  HK's Hutchison Whampoa, which owns 50 per cent of phase one, and its subsidiary Hutchison Delta Ports are involved in the management and operation of the port and Jiuzhou Port in Zhuhai city centre.

  Mr Chen refused further comment on Hutchison's investment, saying only that the two sides had a good relationship.

  He said Zhuhai Port could handle 200 million tonnes of cargo a year, while phase one could accommodate 200,000 tonnes a year.

  Last year, however, the port handled 50,000 tonnes of cargo.

  Mr Chen said that was because the city did not have good transport links with places inland.

  'In the next few years, we will put our effort on the Guangzhou-Zhuhai railway,' he said.

  The Guangzhou-Zhuhai railway construction work will pick up steam in the middle of this year.

  Mr Chen estimated that the 177-kilometre long railway will cost between 3.8 billion yuan (about HK$3.53 billion) and 4.2 billion yuan taking inflation into account.

  He noted that the cost of the railway was higher than other lines inland because of geographic reasons.

  Several bridges had to be built to cross branches of the Pearl River and to take into account the soft land in the delta region, he said.

  The railway is expected to take four years to complete, but Zhuhai is aiming to complete it in three years.

  Although cities along the railway will foot 20 per cent of the bill and Jiangmen will contribute 10 per cent, Zhuhai municipal government is responsible for funding most of the project.

  Zhuhai hopes to obtain a US$100 million foreign government loan, and lure other foreign investment.



Zhuhai to focus on transport network