More than a year after diplomatic ties were established between China and São Tomé and Príncipe, the Chinese authorities have continued their cautious stance regarding infrastructure investments in the island country.

Mozambique is in the midst of the most sustained period of port investment of any African country since independence. A total of $800 million was invested in the Port of Maputo between 2012 and 2016, with another $1.2 billion planned before 2033.

The first beneficiaries of the bridge will be the tourism industries of the three cities, especially Macao. Many mainland visitors join a HK-Macao tour and stay one-two days in each city.

China’s central government will release the development plan to link Hong Kong and Macao with nine cities in Guangdong province in the first half of this year.

The Maputo/Catembe bridge, due to open in the next few months in the Mozambican capital, is the project with the biggest funding granted by China.