Relations between the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region were also a major topic at the CPPCC session. The closer ties, and the strategy to create a Greater Bay Area, have spurred demand for the transport of passengers and freight by land. Several infrastructure projects will be completed this year to meet that demand. They include an Express Rail Link connecting Hong Kong to the nationwide high-speed rail network, and a mega-bridge meant to cut travel time between the east and west banks of the Pearl River. Mao Dan has this report on the changes the connectivity build-up will bring.

The iconic Hung Hom Station is the first glimpse of Hong Kong for train travelers from the Chinese mainland, some of whom make the rail trip for the experience.

TOURIST FROM BEIJING "We got on the train at 12:40pm yesterday, after a whole day's travel, 24 hours, now we are finally here. It's a long journey. We'll take the plane to go back in order to save time."

TOURIST FROM BEIJING "It's non-stop from Beijing to Hong Kong, but takes so long. If there are high speed trains, with sleeping seats, I'd prefer that. I believe high speed night trains will help save a lot of time."

Fans of high-speed rail travel will soon see bullet trains coming to Hong Kong, as the Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link is scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2018.

MAO DAN HONG KONG "The West Kowloon railway station will be the Hong Kong terminus of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, which is part of the planned Beijing-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway. In a few months, people can take a bullet train here and arrive in Beijing within 9 hours."

The Link is 145 kilometers in length, with seven stops. Once it's open, a train ride from Hong Kong to Guangzhou will take mere 48 minutes, while Shenzhen will be just 15 minutes away. More importantly, it will link Hong Kong to the 25-thousand kilometer nation-wide high-speed rail network, and connect it directly with 16 major mainland cities.

CHAN FAN HONG KONG SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, HOUSING "With the network connection, places nowadays, in terms of distance, are not defined by kilometers, but by the time it takes to travel, so by having the express link, we will be able to go over the border and then to other cities, we can bring the people and have a much wider living space for HK."

The new Link is expected to carry about 100-thousand passengers daily.Together with the mega-sized Hong Kong-Zhuhai- Macao Bridge and a seventh land-based crossing between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, it is set to take the Special Administrative Region to a new level of connectivity with the Chinese mainland. And for frequent travelers and tourists from both sides, they will soon have more choices as to how to make the trip. Mao Dan for CGTN, Hong Kong.