History
Both Xiao Hengqin and Da Hengqin were claimed by Portugal, along with the larger former island of Wanzai (Portuguese: Lapa) — now a peninsula — to their north, as part of the Província da Macau, because "Portuguese schools are established there." In 1896, Portuguese determined to occupy the two islands of Hengqin, but it was unsuccessful. They were briefly occupied by Portugal before World War II.
Since the land reclamation and development, there has been a growing opinion in Macau that the island should be leased to Macau, where land is very limited and there is little room for further development. By 1 September 2005, plans were revealed that the government of Guangdong will allow tax exemptions and adopt flexible immigration control in Hengqin to promote investment from Hong Kong and Macau.
In late 2005, Las Vegas Sands openly discussed its multi-billion dollar plan to develop parts of Hengqin Island into a convention and resort destination. The project was to include four million sq ft of convention space, hotels, retail, vacation homes, and golf, tennis and yachting amenities.
On 27 June 2009 it was officially announced by the government of Macau that the University of Macau will build its new campus on 1 km2 of the island, in a stretch directly facing the Cotai area, south of the current border post. This is the first of other possible projects. Construction of the campus shall take three years and is slated to include an underwater tunnel. Macau law will apply in the university campus and it will not be necessary to pass a formal border post. The Macau Special Administrative Region will pay an amount of rent which has not yet been set for the use of the land.
Read more about this topic: Hengqin New Area
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