Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge introduces Chinese standards to the world

By Yang Xun from People’s Daily

The official operation of China’s 55km-long Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) in 2018 attracted worldwide attention, marking a major success of China’s infrastructure construction, and introducing “Chinese standards” to the world.

The HZMB, adopting Chinese standards in multiple fields, has set an example for high-quality infrastructure construction, said Su Quanke, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on the sidelines of the two sessions, China’s top legislative and political advisory bodies.

Su, also the chief engineer of the HZMB Authority, introduced that 61 volumes of technical standards have been established during the construction of the mega-bridge to ensure world-class quality. “These standard volumes, if piled up, are as high as over one meter,” the chief engineer said.

A major achievement in the construction of the bridge is that China has exported many of its technologies and standards, Su said.For example, the constructor of an 18-km immersed tunnel connecting Denmark with Germany under the Fehmarn Belt has visited China four or five times for technical exchanges.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Authority of the US that built the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in the 1970s also expressed their intention to visit China as it is planning to build a new bridge beside the existing one, saying that their construction technologies are outdated in today’s world.

Constructors of cross-sea steel bridges from Germany, Serbia and Norway have signed contracts with Chinese enterprises, hoping the latter to offer Chinese technologies and materials produced on the same production line of the HZMB, Su said. The production line has already started manufacturing for foreign constructors a couple of years ago, and the orders are still coming in till today.

What made Su proud is that he was contacted by the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association, and the latter expressed its hope to promote Chinese standards internationally.

Su said that more bridges would be built in accordance with Chinese standards around the world in the future.