Chinese President Xi Jinping opened Tuesday the world's longest water bridge linking Hong Kong, Macao and the mainland, while China tightens its grip on its semi-autonomous regions.
Xi announced the opening of the bridge officially during a ceremony in a hall located in a port of the new city of Zhuhai in the south of the country, attended by the leaders of Hong Kong and Macao cities.
In front of a huge screen carrying scenes of the bridge accompanied by a fireworks display, the Chinese president said: "The opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge officially announced," immediately before leaving the concert theater without a speech.
Hong Kong's chief executive, Carrie Lam, spoke at the beginning of the ceremony and thanked Xi for attending the event and praised the "splendor" of the bridge, which will open to traffic on Wednesday.
The 55-km (34-mile) bridge connects an underwater tunnel between Hong Kong's Lantau Island, the city of Juhai and Macau's famous island of gambling clubs across the Pearl River waters.
The huge project linking Hong Kong to China's mainland is the second of its kind after the opening of a fast railway railway last month, part of Beijing's strategy to form a major economic zone.
Critics of the project say the new multi-billion-dollar sea bridge is another way to integrate Hong Kong with China as concerns over the erosion of freedoms in the city grow.
The bridge began operating in 2009 and its work was delayed due to budget overruns, corruption and death among workers.
Proponents of the project promote it as an engineering miracle that will boost business and reduce travel time, while others see it as a huge and costly project that hides political goals.
The main section of the bridge is mainland China and drivers from Hong Kong must "abide by mainland laws and regulations," according to the city's transport department.
Residents of Hong Kong will be granted a license to travel to Zhuhai by car if they have important jobs and positions on the Chinese mainland or make substantial contributions to charities in Guangdong Province in southern China.
Most people will need to cross the bridge by bus.
