Hong Kong airport’s third runway project to get help with sand supplies from Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, city leader Carrie Lam says
- Chief executive announces mainland Chinese help for project, which was delayed for four months by the suspension of sand supplies and bad weather
- But legislator notes lack of details given about the plan
Hong Kong will get crucial help from mainland China to build a third runway for its airport, the city's leader announced on Thursday.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said neighbouring provinces would help with sand supplies for the expansion, as she unveiled a raft of measures to get started on cross-border integration under the Greater Bay Area project.
Lam spoke on Thursday after leading an official delegation to this year’s Hong Kong/Guangdong Cooperation Joint Conference, which discussed the implementation of Beijing’s plan to turn Hong Kong, Macau and nine Guangdong cities into a financial and technological powerhouse to rival Silicon Valley by 2035.
Apart from the airport project, she also announced initiatives such as co-organising arts and technology festivals, and measures to follow-up on earlier policy pledges ranging from improved cross-border transport links, greater access for Hong Kong universities and start-ups to provincial funds, and opening up public service posts to Hongkongers.
With Guangdong and Guangxi’s full backing, we are very confident that the third runway project can move forward as scheduled
Lam said on Thursday she secured the Guangdong government’s help on sand supplies.
“The Greater Bay Area project supports Hong Kong in becoming an international aviation hub ... I am happy that Guangdong will provide us with part of the sand needed to build the third runway,” she said. She added that Guangxi’s party chief also promised, in a meeting on Wednesday, that the southwestern region would send sand.
“With Guangdong and Guangxi’s full backing, we are very confident that the third runway project can move forward as scheduled,” Lam said.
A spokesman for the Airport Authority welcomed the announcement, and reiterated that the new runway would open in 2022, with the entire project completed by 2024.
Lam also announced that Guangdong had agreed to let more Hong Kong vehicles use the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, which opened in October last year to connect the three bay area cities.
“Right now there are quota and licence requirements for drivers who want to use the bridge, and the two governments agreed to relax them,” she said.
She added that, while the details were still being drafted, she hoped members of local business chambers, universities and research institutions would benefit. In March, the chief executive announced her government had agreed with Beijing to work in that direction, but the agreement with Guangdong was only reached on Thursday.
Transport sector lawmaker Frankie Yick Chi-ming, who also sits on the Airport Authority’s board, said the announcements were great boosts for Hong Kong.
“The runway project has been delayed, but it should be fine now because we have multiple sources of sand,” he said, adding that he would support any measure to increase use of the bridge, which has constantly fallen short of the Hong Kong government’s projected 14,000 vehicles a day.
Civic Party lawmaker Jeremy Tam Man-ho, vice-chairman of the Legislative Council’s transport panel, also welcomed the initiative to boost traffic on the bridge.
But he said he remained doubtful and worried about sand supply for the third runway, noting the lack of details in the plan.
“I won’t be content until I see a grain of sand arrive from Guangdong,” he said. “The project needs a hundred million cubic metres of sand, so the government should tell us how much and how soon is the province honouring its promise.”
The other initiatives unveiled by the chief executive on Thursday included two new activities to be organised to promote cultural exchange and innovation in the Greater Bay Area.
They included an arts festival in June, that local groups such as the City Contemporary Dance Company will participate in, as well as an innovation and technology festival from October to November.
