G.F. 326
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33.
34.
Kong rather than a competitor.
The nature of the Pearl
River was itself a constraint on development, as maximum
draught was 35000 tonnes.
The authorities in Shenzhen believed there to be a
bottleneck in Hong Kong for rail freight. By contrast,
the KCRC did not perceive a problem yet, although one
might develop within a year. It was clearly important to
push ahead with the Hung Hom freightyard expansion. Roads
in Shenzhen were of good quality and high capacity. When
Lok Ma Chau was completed, there would be enough capacity
at the border for the foreseeable future. Constraints
were due to immigration and customs processing capacity.
DC for T had at the time of the visit been categorically
assured that no decision had been taken on construction of
an airport in Shenzhen, and that environmental considerations would be very important. On ports, it was
planned to expand the capacity of Shekou and Chiwan to
50,000 tonnes. However, given the navigational
constraints of the Mawan Channel, DC for T did not expect
much to come of this. Development of the Wutongshan
Tunnel might be linked to plans for a 100,000-tonne
capacity port at Yantian.
However, there was no
infrastructure so far and enormous efforts would be
required to develop that site.
35. He concluded that the visit had been useful and hoped that
more regular links with Guangdong might be developed. It
was clear that transport and power problems were a huge constraint on development. He hoped that SA/HE'S delegation might obtain further information.
36.
SLW enquired whether the Shekou port was operating properly now, and wondered about the rationale for building a port at Yantian. Various members commented
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