Macau has established sea and road connections for cargo shipments. The Macau Container Port, which is ten minutes drive from the airport, was opened in 1991. This port has multiple daily round trips to Hong Kong, 60 km away by sea, andregular container ship service to China Taiwan, Singapore and to Chinese ports within the Pearl River Delta estuary. The border between Macau and Zhuhai, China is about 8 km from the airport, 15 road minutes away by dual lane highway. Zhuhai is growing as a manufacturing zone for both local and international companies. Major international manufacturing companies set up in and around Zhuhai include Canon, Mitsubishi, Casio, General Electric, Philips, AT&T and Pfaff.
Zhuhai Free Trade Zone (FTZ) covering an area of 3km2 was founded on 3rd November 1996 with the approval of the China State Council. It is situated in the south of the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone (SEZ), adjacent to Wanzai Port and facing Macau across the Pearl River. The Zhuhai FTZ is connected to Macau via the Hengqin Bridge and Lotus Bridge. The Zhuhai FTZ is not far from major regional transportation hubs. It is 11km from the city proper, 44km from Zhuhai Port, 18km from Jiuzhou Port, 40km from Zhuhai Airport, 5km from the proposed Zhuhai Railway Station, and only 36 nautical miles from Hong Kong. The climate in the zone is similar to that of Macau, mild with an annual average temperature of 22.4°C.
The Zhuhai FTZ has enormous development potential. As a free trade zone, the Zhuhai FTZ contributes to the improvement of the investment environment in Guangdong Province as a whole. The Zone will assume the role of a strategic investment window, attracting foreign investment and channelling business and funds to service and manufacturing providers throughout the entire province and beyond. The Zone is ideally located to function as a distribution centre of merchandise, capital, and information in the southwestern Pearl River Delta region. The developmental emphasis in the Zone will be on advanced scientific research and development, high-technology industries, high value-added manufacturing, and foreign-exchange-earning industries. The Zhuhai FTZ is a bold new concept in economic and public administration, functioning within the parameters of the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone to strengthen economic co-operation between Macau and Guangdong Province.