HONG KONG, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government has awarded the first tender for a major land parcel in the Northern Metropolis, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR government Paul Chan wrote on his blog on Sunday, describing the public-private partnership as a new milestone for the project.
Chan said the tender invitation took a two-envelope approach that assessed bids mainly on their long-term contribution to Hong Kong's industrial and economic development. The winner, he said, would be a long-term strategic partner instead of a mere real estate developer.
The winning consortium of six enterprises has projected an investment of about 16.8 billion Hong Kong dollars (about 2.14 billion U.S. dollars) and the creation of over 6,000 jobs.
Chan also noted that the HKSAR government issued infrastructure bonds in May to raise capital for key projects including the Northern Metropolis. ■
