BBC (February 21)
“Chinese President Xi Jinping last year officially opened a bridge connecting Hong Kong to Macau and the mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai—the world’s longest sea crossing bridge—as part of China’s plan to connect Greater Bay Area.” This ambitious plan seeks to spur economic development and “lays out strategic visions for the major cities in the region to become hubs in different sectors.” For example, “Hong Kong would strengthen its status as a finance and trade hub” while Shenzhen would be a tech hub and “Macau would focus on tourism.” An impressive plan, but “analysts question whether its lofty goals can be achieved.”
Tags: Ambitious, China, Finance, Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen, Tech hub, Trade, Xi, Zhuhai
Bloomberg (March 1)
Macau’s going through a bit of a slump. “Players failed to materialize during what is traditionally one of the busiest weeks of the year…. Casino revenue is now projected to plunge 53.5 percent for the month” of February, with annual gambling revenue forecast to decrease nearly 10% for the year. Nevertheless, Macau “remains way ahead of its closest global competitor in Las Vegas.” In 2014, Macau took in nearly seven times more gaming revenue than Las Vegas.
