The Department of Natural Resources of Guangdong Province recently released a document providing guidance on a city cluster on the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary in terms of planning area, spatial pattern, coordination between ecological system and agriculture, transportation, public service facilities, as well as industrial layout.

The city cluster on the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary covers Zhuhai, Zhongshan, and Jiangmen. It will have a "one pole and three cores" concept, in which the "one pole" refers to downtown Zhuhai and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, while the "three cores" are formed by downtown Zhongshan and Jiangmen, as well as Gaolan Port and Jiangmen Yinhu Bay.

The functions of Hengqin and downtown Zhuhai were highlighted in the new document, in which Hengqin is expected to drive industrial development, as well as mechanical and systematical innovation to boost the high-quality development of the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary.

The Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin [Photo by Li Jianshu / Zhuhai Daily]

A 100-km (62-mile) "Golden Inner Bay" will be built around the Pearl River Estuary to enhance connections between the city cluster on the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary and the cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Construction of high-speed railways will be accelerated to build outbound high-speed rail passages from the city cluster. To build a crisscross rail transit network between the cities, research and construction of projects like the Guangzhou-Zhuhai (Macao) High-Speed Railway will be moved forward.

Zhuhai, Zhongshan, and Jiangmen will also have access to more fast passages and intercity projects, including the upcoming Nansha-Zhuhai (Zhongshan) Intercity railway project. 

A "six horizontal and eight vertical" skeleton expressway network has been proposed, while projects like the Jinhai and Zhongshan Outer Ring expressways are currently undergoing research and construction. Construction of the Huangmao Sea Channel will be accelerated, while spaces for passages across the Pearl River, such as the Shenzhen-Zhuhai and Guangdong-Shenzhen links, will be reserved. 

In addition, transportation in the city cluster on the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary is expected to be more convenient, while the boundaries of the involved cities will be broken with continuous construction. 

As stated in the document, a Greater Bay Area high-end industrial agglomeration zone will be constructed on the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary, focusing on industries of high-end equipment manufacturing, new-generation information technology, biomedicine and healthcare, and high-end modern service sectors. A high-quality modernized industrial carrier and hi-tech industrial development space will take shape to cultivate a new growth pole for economic development in GBA.

A life community featuring mountains, rivers, forests, paddy fields, lakes, and lawns will be established to provide high-level ecological guarantee and high-quality leisure and sharing functions.