The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HKZM) port in south China has seen its commodity import and export throughput surge by ten percent year on year in the first ten months of this year, according to the latest official data released by Gongbei Customs on the bridge port.
The bridge saw 185.67 billion yuan (about 25.51 billion U.S. dollars) worth of commodities passing through in the first ten months of this year, bringing the total up to 963.4 billion yuan (about 132.40 billion U.S. dollars) in the past six years since its operation on Oct. 23, 2018.
As a major regional land transportation artery, the HKZM has now emerged as a golden channel for interconnection in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area city cluster in south China.
To facilitate customs clearance between the three places, the HKZM Customs has set up a 24-hour hotline featuring quick and efficient services on customs check, which has significantly helped the export business of automobile manufacturers and traders.
"The demand for new energy vehicles (NEVs) in Hong Kong and Macao is high. So far this year, we have seen significant growth in NEV export. The bridge port provides 24-hour customs clearance services, and the high efficiency can help us deliver the vehicles to the customers as soon as possible. So the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge port is our first choice," said Zhang Bin, manger of a car company in the Chinese mainland.
"In the early days when the bridge was opened, the goods going through the port were mainly integrated circuits and liquid crystal display panels. In recent years, there are high-value and high-tech products such as gold, jewelry and new energy vehicles. The types of goods passing through the bridge port have become increasingly diverse," said Wang Peiyang, deputy head of the customs office on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge port.
Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge port sees surge in imports, exports
A Spanish infectious diseases expert on Friday downplayed the risks of large-scale spreading of the deadly hantavirus, citing the current situation and precautionary measures already taken to prevent further outbreaks.
The Dutch-operated, hantavirus-hit expedition cruise ship MV Hondius is currently heading toward Spain's Canary Islands, following a rare outbreak that has resulted in three deaths. At least five cases of hantavirus have been confirmed out of eight suspected cases.
The strain is identified as the Andes virus, which is notable because it is known to spread between humans.
Vicente Soriano, the expert, said the virus can spread relatively easily in confined environments such as cruise ships. However, he added that the Spanish government's decision to bring the vessel to the Canary Islands and impose strict quarantine measures upon arrival is currently the best way to control its spread.
Health authorities in the Canary Islands have been placed on standby and have designated specific medical reception areas.
"It is difficult to predict what will happen after they arrive in the Canary Islands, or how many people are infected. But what we do know is that this is not expected to trigger an emergency outbreak. Among the few cases, there may be some asymptomatic individuals, and what will need to be done then is to place them in isolation," said Soriano.
Soriano believes it is unlikely that the outbreak will escalate to a state of emergency, as hantavirus is not entirely unknown and infection typically requires close contact with patients showing severe symptoms. Once cases are identified, they should be promptly isolated to effectively prevent the virus from spreading.
"The confirmed patients have already been evacuated and sent back to their home countries. Asymptomatic individuals will be taken to medical centers or hotels for nasal swab and blood tests. If they remain in good health after one week, with no fever and normal test results, they will be sent back to their places of residence in Spain or their countries of origin. I believe these measures are the right approach to prevent further spread of the outbreak and to bring it under control," he said.
Hantavirus is primarily transmitted to humans through contact with infected rodents such as rats and mice. Infection can occur through inhaling contaminated dust, touching contaminated surfaces, or exposure to rodent droppings. In rare cases, certain strains, such as the Andes virus, can spread between humans through close contact.
Large-scale hantavirus outbreaks unlikely: expert
