The Guangdong coastal transport infrastructure is to be radically upgraded, according to plans outlined by the Communist Party Secretary of the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Liang Guangda said that as well as the proposed Lingding Yang Bridge between Zhuhai and Hong Kong, an eight-lane expressway was being built along the coast and another to Guangxi province.
The central Government plans to build a highway from Heilongjiang to Hainan Island. A six-lane Beijing-Zhuhai highway was expected to open in the next three years, linking coastal ports.
Mr Liang was speaking in one of a series of interviews by the Post with top officials in southern China before the handover.
SCMP: How do you see the future evolving in the Guangdong region, where you have Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and other important development areas which have greater administrative freedoms to set their own laws and policies? Liang: Hong Kong, Macau and each of the SEZs enjoy their own legislative power. This is beneficial to us because each faces its own problems. I believe it is indispensable for us to be authorised to issue our own laws tailored to our needs.
We need to carry on with what has proved to be effective. For example, many foreign companies have set up here, and we pass laws and regulations to ensure a standard implementation of policies which have proved effective, better protecting the interests of these companies and ensuring they will not alter if the mayors or directors of certain departments change.
I am also sure our legislation serves as a testing ground for the whole country in terms of legal construction, though I want to stress that our legislation shall by no means be contradictory to national laws.