BEIJING -- The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the world's longest sea-crossing structure, has seen a surge in cross-border movement this year, as over 10 million inbound and outbound passenger trips were recorded through its Zhuhai port by late April, a more than 18.9 percent increase year on year.

The milestone marks the fastest the port has ever crossed the 10-million mark within a single year since the bridge opened in 2018.

Stretching more than 55 kilometers, the bridge has become a potent symbol of China's efforts to more rapidly integrate Hong Kong, Macao, and mainland cities under its Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development strategy.

By 8 a.m., tour buses were already arriving at the elevated platform outside the departure hall of the bridge port. Inside, travelers moved swiftly through joint customs checkpoints, completing border clearance in as little as 30 seconds.

Such efficiency has become routine. According to official figures, the port recorded more than 100,000 daily crossings on 30 separate days so far this year, double the figure over the same period in 2024.

The bridge, a monumental cross-sea infrastructure project, marks the first large-scale collaboration between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao under the "one country, two systems" policy. Since its opening, the travel time between Hong Kong and Zhuhai, as well as Macao, has been slashed from three hours to just 45 minutes.

By December 2024, the total import and export value through Zhuhai port had exceeded 1 trillion yuan (138.9 billion U.S. dollars). In 2024 alone, the port handled 232.9 billion yuan in trade, marking an 11.3 percent increase from the previous year. Goods flowed to and from more than 230 countries and regions, with nearly 1 million parcels crossing the bridge daily.

Weng Xipeng, the general manager of a seafood import-export company in Zhuhai, said that thanks to the bridge, their live seafood can now reach Hong Kong in about an hour.

"This has greatly boosted the survival rate of the products and cut transportation costs by nearly half," Weng said.

With 24-hour customs services, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has become a vital logistics link for the Greater Bay Area. The bridge has seen significant increases in the flow of people, vehicles and goods, further enhancing regional connectivity.

The bridge is not only a key geographical feature of the Greater Bay Area but also a tangible representation of the "one country, two systems" policy, said Ip Kuai Peng, vice rector of the City University of Macao.

"The bridge's continuous traffic flow reflects institutional innovation and practical breakthroughs under this framework," he said. "The synergy between physical infrastructure and seamless policy integration has fostered stronger connections among people across the region."