The Hong Kong government has officially gazetted the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area Bill, paving the way for new co-location arrangements at the redeveloped port to significantly enhance cross-border efficiency.
This came after the State Council issued an official reply approving the commissioning of the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area and Related Extended Areas (Hong Kong Port Area) from 12am on July 31 under the HKSAR laws.
The bill is scheduled for its first and second readings in the Legislative Council this Wednesday, where Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung will outline the specific regulations to lawmakers.
A government spokesperson said the project is one of the key initiatives for the city to integrate into the national development strategies.
The redeveloped Huanggang Port will implement the colocation arrangement and the novel "collaborative inspection and joint clearance" mode to further enhance passenger clearance experience and efficiency.
It is undersstood that the construction on the Huanggang Port Building's superstructure is largely complete. Contractors from both Hong Kong and Shenzhen are currently finalizing interior fit-outs and installing essential operational facilities.
To ensure smooth daily operations within the Hong Kong Port Area, the government will also draft subsidiary legislation. This framework will cover the administration of the port as a closed area, the designation of detention facilities, support arrangements for traffic and transport management, and the provision of public mobile telecommunications services.
Authorities stressed their commitment to expediting the local legislative process while maintaining close collaboration with the Guangdong Provincial and Shenzhen Municipal governments. Upcoming preparations for the public launch include joint system testing, comprehensive trial runs, and emergency drills.
The official opening date will be announced once both sides finalize all preparatory work.
The official opening date will be announced once both sides have completed all preparatory work.
Located at the Futian District of Shenzhen, the redeveloped Huanggang Port is a 24-hour passenger land border crossing control point expected to cut the clearance time from the current 30 minutes at the existing Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port to approximately five minutes.
The modern facility is designed to handle up to 200,000 passenger crossings daily, with that capacity projected to surge to 300,000 once the MTR Northern Link spur line becomes operational.
