高鐵與造橋項(xiàng)目背后，香港的擔(dān)憂與疑慮

HONG KONG — After months of debate and political discord, passengers started boarding high-speed trains at a new station in Hong Kong on Sunday morning, the formal launch of a multibillion-dollar transportation link that will tie the former British colony more closely to the rest of China.

香港——經(jīng)過(guò)數(shù)月的辯論和政治紛爭(zhēng)，周日早上開始，香港的乘客開始從一個(gè)新車站登上高鐵列車，這條造價(jià)數(shù)十億美元的交通線路正式推出，將香港這個(gè)前英國(guó)殖民地和中國(guó)其他地區(qū)更緊密地聯(lián)系起來(lái)。

Another project, the world’s longest sea bridge, is expected to open later this year. Like the train station, it is both an impressive engineering feat and a source of controversy. It will span the mouth of the Pearl River, linking Hong Kong with the mainland city of Zhuhai and the former Portuguese colony of Macau, the world’s biggest gambling hub.

還有一個(gè)項(xiàng)目是世界上最長(zhǎng)的跨海大橋，預(yù)計(jì)將在今年晚些時(shí)候投入使用。像那座火車站一樣，它既是令人印象深刻的工程壯舉，又是爭(zhēng)議之源。它橫跨珠江口，將香港與大陸城市珠海和前葡萄牙殖民地、世界上最大的賭博中心澳門連接起來(lái)。

Hong Kong officials say the projects are critical to economic development and will speed the movement of goods and people through the region, which the Chinese government wants to bind more tightly together. But many residents are concerned about what a Greater Bay Area, as China calls its vision of a more closely knit Pearl River Delta region, will mean for the city’s unique identity.

香港官員表示，這些項(xiàng)目對(duì)經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展至關(guān)重要，并將加快貨物和人員通過(guò)香港的速度，中國(guó)政府希望將該地區(qū)更緊密地聯(lián)系在一起。但是，許多居民都擔(dān)心，粵港澳大灣區(qū)，即中國(guó)所稱的珠江三角洲地區(qū)聯(lián)系更加緊密的前景，對(duì)這個(gè)城市的獨(dú)特身份將會(huì)意味著什么。

Large-scale building projects, like the highway that linked Hong Kong with Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, in the 1990s, helped secure the region’s status as a global manufacturing center. But analysts say the benefits of the latest projects are less clear, and some suspect that China’s desire to tighten its hold on Hong Kong trumped other concerns.

1990年代的許多大型建筑項(xiàng)目，如連接香港與廣東省省會(huì)廣州的高速公路，確保了該地區(qū)作為全球制造業(yè)中心的地位。但分析人士表示，最新項(xiàng)目的好處不太明顯，有些人懷疑中國(guó)希望收緊對(duì)香港的控制，這是最大的顧慮。

“I think it was obvious from the beginning that most likely political considerations were at least as important as economic reasons,” said Willy Lam, an adjunct professor at Chinese University of Hong Kong.

“我認(rèn)為從一開始就很明顯，最有可能的是，政治因素至少與經(jīng)濟(jì)原因一樣重要，”香港中文大學(xué)客座教授林和立(Willy Lam)說(shuō)。

Both projects have seen delays, cost overruns and other complications. Environmentalists fear the bridge will hasten the extinction of endangered Chinese white dolphins. At least 10 workers have been killed in accidents during its construction, and 19 people face criminal charges in Hong Kong over faked concrete quality tests, which have raised questions about the structure’s integrity and required costly reexaminations.

兩個(gè)項(xiàng)目都經(jīng)歷了延誤、成本超支和其他復(fù)雜情況。環(huán)保主義者擔(dān)心這座橋?qū)⒓铀贋l臨滅絕的中華白海豚走向消亡。在施工期間，至少有10名工人在事故中喪生，19人因偽造混凝土質(zhì)量測(cè)試而在香港面臨刑事指控，該測(cè)試引起了對(duì)大橋可靠性的質(zhì)疑，并需要進(jìn)行昂貴的復(fù)檢。

The high-speed rail station, which cost $10.8 billion, has been deeply contentious in Hong Kong because it will host Chinese officers who will enforce mainland laws in part of the terminal.

高鐵站耗資108億美元，在香港引起了極大爭(zhēng)議，因?yàn)樗鼘⒂兄袊?guó)官員入駐，在車站的一部分執(zhí)行大陸法律。

Hong Kong, which returned to Chinese control in 1997, operates its own laws under a model called “one country, two systems,” with more robust protections for individual rights than in mainland China. It maintains a border with Guangdong Province, but allowing mainland officers in the new station has, in a sense, moved the border south.

香港于1997年回歸中國(guó)控制，以“一國(guó)兩制”的模式執(zhí)行自己的法律，對(duì)個(gè)人權(quán)利的保護(hù)比中國(guó)大陸更有力。它與廣東省之間的邊界得以保持，但是，允許內(nèi)地官員進(jìn)駐新站，在某種意義上等于將這個(gè)邊境南移。

Pro-democracy politicians, legal scholars and activists say that represents a further erosion of Hong Kong’s unique position within China.

親民主派政治人士、法律學(xué)者和活動(dòng)人士表示，這進(jìn)一步侵蝕了香港在中國(guó)的獨(dú)特地位。

“Both of these projects represent the physical connection between Hong Kong and mainland China,” said Victoria Hui, an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame. “Of course the train station in particular goes all the way into the heart of Hong Kong with Chinese jurisdiction.”

“這兩個(gè)項(xiàng)目都代表了香港與中國(guó)大陸之間的物理聯(lián)系，”圣母大學(xué)(University of Notre Dame)政治學(xué)副教授許田波(Victoria Hui)表示。“當(dāng)然，特別是火車站，它將中國(guó)的司法權(quán)一直延伸到香港中心。”

Such concerns were inflamed this month when the mainland-controlled section of the terminus was handed over to Chinese officials in a brief, late-night ceremony, with no local news media invited. Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, denied any intent to keep the event a secret.

本月，大陸控制的車站部分在一個(gè)深夜舉行的簡(jiǎn)短儀式上移交給中國(guó)官員，沒有邀請(qǐng)當(dāng)?shù)氐男侣劽襟w，令這些顧慮進(jìn)一步激化，香港首席行政長(zhǎng)官林鄭月娥否認(rèn)有意將此事件保密。

Ms. Lam was also forced to explain why some mainland officers would work overnight, despite promises they would return to Guangdong when the station closed each evening, and why the station had an additional basement level that had not been disclosed to the public.

林鄭月娥還不得不解釋為什么雖然內(nèi)地官員承諾會(huì)在每天晚上車站關(guān)閉時(shí)返回廣東，但還是有一些人在夜間工作，以及為什么車站還有一個(gè)未向公眾披露的額外地下室層。

The new rail line has been billed as cutting travel time to Guangzhou to 48 minutes from over two hours, though trains stopping at stations in between will take longer. The line will also allow passengers from Hong Kong to connect to 38 long-haul destinations on China’s national high-speed rail network, including Beijing and Shanghai.

據(jù)稱，新的鐵路線將香港到廣州的行程時(shí)間從兩個(gè)多小時(shí)縮短到48分鐘，盡管在中間站停靠的時(shí)間要延長(zhǎng)。該路線還讓來(lái)自香港的乘客同中國(guó)國(guó)家高鐵網(wǎng)的38個(gè)長(zhǎng)途目的地(包括北京和上海)連接起來(lái)。

But some potential passengers have balked at the service’s baggage limits, as well as ticket prices that offer little or no discount to flying.

但一些可能乘坐該列車的人因?yàn)檐嚿蠈?duì)行李的限制和票價(jià)而止步不前，票價(jià)與機(jī)票相比基本上沒什么優(yōu)惠。

“I don’t think there will be any benefit to me,” said Ling Chiang, 28, a commercial photographer who travels to the mainland about once a month for work. He goes to Guangzhou by train but said he would probably stick with air travel for more distant mainland destinations.

“對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)沒有任何好處，”28歲的商業(yè)攝影師蔣凌(音)表示，他每個(gè)月會(huì)因?yàn)楣ぷ髑巴箨懸淮?。他?huì)乘坐火車前往廣州，但表示去大陸更遠(yuǎn)的地方的話，可能還是會(huì)選擇坐飛機(jī)。

“Why waste time when the price is about the same?” he said.

“價(jià)格基本上一樣的話，為什么要浪費(fèi)時(shí)間?”他表示。

The Hong Kong government estimated in 2015 that more than 109,000 passengers would take the train every day, but this year it lowered the forecast to 80,000. Still, Frank Chan, Hong Kong’s secretary for transportation and housing, said he was confident that the project would be profitable from the start.

據(jù)香港政府2015年的估計(jì)，超過(guò)10.9萬(wàn)人會(huì)每天乘坐該車，但今年，香港政府將預(yù)估數(shù)字調(diào)低至8萬(wàn)人。但香港政府運(yùn)輸及房屋局局長(zhǎng)陳帆還是表示，他有信心該項(xiàng)目能從一開始就實(shí)現(xiàn)盈利。

Both projects represent some of China’s biggest national infrastructure undertakings of the past decade. The high-speed rail system, which began 10 years ago, is the world’s largest, with more than 15,000 miles of track. The county has also built hundreds of dazzling bridges that set records for length and height.

兩個(gè)項(xiàng)目都是中國(guó)在過(guò)去10年最大的國(guó)家基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施項(xiàng)目的代表。10年前開始的高鐵系統(tǒng)如今規(guī)模為世界上最大的，通車?yán)锍坛^(guò)1.5萬(wàn)英里(約合2.5萬(wàn)公里)。該國(guó)還建造了數(shù)以百計(jì)令人頭暈?zāi)垦５臉蛄?，它們無(wú)論在長(zhǎng)度和高度都創(chuàng)下世界紀(jì)錄。

As with the express trains to the mainland, expectations for the 34-mile bridge-and-tunnel project linking Hong Kong to the western side of the Pearl River have been scaled back. A 2008 forecast anticipated 172,000 daily passenger trips by 2030, but the government this year lowered the figure to 126,000.

就像通往大陸的高鐵列車一樣，外界對(duì)這個(gè)全長(zhǎng)34英里(約合55公里)，連接香港和珠江西岸的大橋隧道項(xiàng)目的預(yù)期已經(jīng)有所降低。一項(xiàng)2008年的預(yù)測(cè)估計(jì)到2030年前，每日客運(yùn)量達(dá)到17.2萬(wàn)人次，但政府今年已經(jīng)將該數(shù)字調(diào)低至12.6萬(wàn)人次。

One reason is that the manufacturing center of Shenzhen, which was cut out of the original plan, is building its own new bridge about 20 miles to the north. The span will connect with the city of Zhongshan and is expected to open in 2023.

一個(gè)原因是深圳這個(gè)原本沒有被納入計(jì)劃的制造業(yè)中心正在以北約20英里(約合32公里)的地方，建造自己的新橋。大橋?qū)⑦B接中山市，預(yù)計(jì)2023年通車。

“This is a competitor to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge,” said Yang Chun, a professor of geography at Hong Kong Baptist University. “Obviously it will dilute the transportation volume, because they are parallel.”

“這是對(duì)港珠澳大橋的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，”香港浸會(huì)大學(xué)地理系教授楊春。“很明顯它會(huì)減少運(yùn)量，因?yàn)槎呤瞧叫械?rdquo;。

The Shenzhen-Zhongshan bridge will be entirely within mainland China, meaning users won’t have to go through the border controls maintained by Hong Kong and Macau. They also won’t have to switch from driving on the right side of the road, which is used in the mainland, to the left, the side used in both former colonies.

深中大橋整體完全在中國(guó)大陸境內(nèi)，這意味著使用者不用經(jīng)過(guò)由香港和澳門的邊境管制。他們也不用從大陸通行的道路右邊駕駛轉(zhuǎn)換至兩個(gè)前殖民地使用的左邊駕駛。

The 14-mile main span of the bridge cost $7 billion, of which the Hong Kong government will pay about $1.3 billion. Hong Kong spent an additional $13.7 billion to build connecting roads, tunnels and an artificial island for its border-crossing facilities. The drive between Hong Kong and Macau is expected to take about 45 minutes — far shorter than the current four hours to drive overland, but not much less than the hour or so it takes to go by ferry.

這座主跨度為14英里(約合23公里)的大橋耗資70億美元，香港政府將承擔(dān)其中的13億美元。為打造連接大橋的道路、隧道及為其跨境設(shè)施而設(shè)立的人工島，香港還另外花費(fèi)了137億美元。香港和澳門之間的通車時(shí)間預(yù)計(jì)為45分鐘——比目前經(jīng)由陸路4小時(shí)車程要短不少，但與1小時(shí)左右的輪渡相比，并沒有縮短多少時(shí)間。

More doubts about the bridge project were raised in April. Photos of an artificial island where a four-mile tunnel emerges near Hong Kong’s side of the river seemed to show that concrete tetrapods, structures meant to protect the island from erosion, had drifted away. The bridge authority said they were working as intended, but some engineers were unconvinced.

四月，外界對(duì)這個(gè)大橋項(xiàng)目提出了更多疑問(wèn)。香港一側(cè)附近，有一個(gè)4英里(約合6公里)長(zhǎng)的隧道出口所在的人工島，當(dāng)時(shí)有照片顯示，意在保護(hù)人工島不受侵蝕的消波塊被沖走。大橋管理方表示，它們完全滿足相關(guān)設(shè)計(jì)要求，但一些工程師不怎么信服。

When Typhoon Mangkut blew through the region last week, some of the bridge’s detractors in Hong Kong expressed hope that the structure would be washed away. But as Hong Kong cleaned up, it was still standing, apparently unharmed.

當(dāng)上周，臺(tái)風(fēng)“山竹”刮過(guò)該地區(qū)時(shí)，香港一些這座大橋的批評(píng)者希望它會(huì)被沖走。但隨著香港清理干凈，大橋仍屹立不倒，明顯沒有受到任何破壞。