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Infrastructure Coordinating Committee meets
The following is a press release issued after a meeting held by the Sino-British Coordinating Committee on Major Cross-border Infrastructure between Hong Kong and the Mainland today (Thursday):
The Sino-British Coordinating Committee on Major Cross-border Infrastructure between Hong Kong and the Mainland(ICC) held its 5th plenary meeting in Guangzhou today (Thursday). The British side's leader Mr Bowen Leung, Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands and the Chinese side's leader Mr Zhang Liangdong, Director of the Economic Department, Hong Kong & Macau Affairs Office, State Council attended and chaired today's meeting.
The meeting received and discussed reports from the various panels on their work since the 4th plenary meeting, endorsed the progress made and the consensus reached in these panels, and also discussed the work arrangements for the next stage.
On the proposed Lingdingyang Bridge and the Shenzhen Western Corridor, the meeting discussed the report of the study presented by the British side "A Review of Hong Kong's capacity to cope with Additional Traffic Movement associated with Proposed New Cross-border Transport Links - Final Report".
The report affirmed that, from the perspective of long-term development, it is necessary to increase the transport link between Hong Kong and South China. The study also found that Lan Kwok Tsui in Tuen Mun was preferred as the landing point for the Lingdingyang Bridge in Hong Kong while Pak Nai was the preferred landing area for the Shenzhen Western Corridor.
This conclusion, which is in line with the Chinese side's proposals, has laid down the foundation for further in-depth studies for the two projects. The Chinese side understand and support the British side's need to undertake further investigations on the two proposals' impacts on Hong Kong and on issues related to convergence of the projects across the border.
The meeting agreed that a technical group should be set up under the Roads and Bridges Panel for technical discussions and exchange of information between experts from both sides to facilitate their respective further studies and investigations.
On the proposed Tonggu Channel, the Chinese side support the British side's study on the possible impacts of the Western alignment of the channel on Hong Kong. The two sides agreed to step up their exchange and sharing of information.