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The longest maritime bridge in the world connecting Hong Kong, mainland China and Macao has been opened. It took about three and a half hours from Hong Kong to Macau and now it is only 30 minutes by car.

Yi Sang Wook correspondent in Beijing.

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The bridge across the sea leads to an invisible end. It is the Kangju Ao Bridge that connects Hong Kong and Zhuhai, Guangdong province and Macau.

The total length of 55km was connected by 22.9km of marine bridge and 6.7km of submarine tunnel.

The submarine tunnels are constructed by connecting the tubes at a depth of 40m and can carry a 300,000 ton tanker up.

The distance between Hong Kong and Macau has been reduced from three and a half hours to just 30 minutes by the opening of a bridge with 20 trillion won for the past nine years.

[Jing Jinping / Chinese President: proclaims that Kangju Ao Bridge was officially opened.]

China plans to bring Hong Kong and Macao together with nine cities on the continent, such as Shenzhen, into a global economy like Silicon Valley in the United States.

The region has 68 million people, more than Korea, and GDP is the 11th largest in the world.

[Larry Lung / Senior Vice President, Hong Kong Licensing Group: I believe that more Hong Kongers will be able to find more opportunities to enter the economic zone with the continent.]

The Macau Tourism Authority expects tourists to enjoy a 10 percent increase in travel to and from Hong Kong.