Spanning the Pearl Delta

When it comes to relations between Hong Kong and its neighbors in Guangdong, "one country, two systems" adds up to three times the bureaucracy. A perfect example is the long-delayed Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai bridge. First proposed by Hong Kong developer Gordon Wu in 1983, the bridge was mired in cross-border politics for years, but SARS and a lengthy economic slump in Hong Kong have changed that. Last week, officials from Hong Kong and Guangdong announced that a bridge-building task force would meet at the end of August—the last step before seeking a formal go-ahead from Beijing, which has all but approved the bridge.

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Building the span will cost at least $2 billion, and some still doubt whether it's worth it. Wonder cities on the eastern half of the Pearl River Delta have boomed over the past decade, but Zhuhai and the rest of the west remain relative backwaters. But Professor Tuan Chyau of the Chinese University of Hong Kong says that's exactly the point: the bridge could be the key to transforming the western delta. By cutting travel time between Hong Kong and Zhuhai by 30 minutes, Tuan estimates the bridge could boost the western delta's GDP by more than $11 billion and Hong Kong's by more than $2 billion. Tourism will benefit as well. Last week, China said it would allow Guangdong residents to visit Hong Kong without having to join a group tour, and by the time the bridge is complete, Hong Kong Disneyland will be operational and Macau may have a new crop of Las Vegas-style casinos. Wu wants to name the project "Handover Bridge," an apt title for a span that could finally connect one country's two systems.