Aerial photo taken on Aug 24, 2020 shows the Liantang Port/Heung Yuen Wai Control Point at the Hong Kong-Shenzhen boundary. (MAO SIQIAN / XINHUA)
The Heung Yuen Wai/Liantang Control Point, which has so far only offered a freight clearance service since its establishment, welcomed its first batch of cross-boundary passengers on Monday, as Hong Kong resumed full-scale normal travel with the Chinese mainland.
Starting Monday, travelers can journey between the two sides, without the need to reserve a quota nor obtain a negative COVID-19 test result in advance.
All land checkpoints have also resumed operation and are providing clearance services for passengers, except for Sha Tau Kok, which only offers cargo clearance services.
Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said that as of 12 pm on Monday, about 50,000 travelers had entered the mainland via the ports, and 33,000 had arrived in Hong Kong, 80 percent of whom are Hong Kong residents. About 14,000 people used Lo Wu port to go to the mainland
Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said that as of 12 pm on Monday, about 50,000 travelers had entered the mainland via the ports, and 33,000 had arrived in Hong Kong, 80 percent of whom are Hong Kong residents.
About 14,000 people used Lo Wu port to go to the mainland. Nearly 10,000 north-bound travelers chose Futian port and 1,400 used Liantang port, he said.
Liantang port, which is the seventh land crossing connecting Hong Kong and Shenzhen, was put into service on Aug 26, 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the checkpoint has only provided services for cross-boundary freight clearance over the last two and a half years.
On Monday, the port launched a clearance service for passengers, and set up fast-channels for mainland, Hong Kong and Macao residents and officials to commute between the two sides.
It also set up special channels to help cross-border students. As of Monday morning, about 300 cross-border students had entered Hong Kong via the port, according to Wu Jun, an official from Shenzhen’s Office of Port of Entry and Exit.
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A highlight of the port is that it has a parking lot with about 400 spaces, offering more convenience for commuters with cars. In addition to using public transportation such as buses, minibuses and metros, travelers can also drive their car to reach the checkpoint, Wu said.
For freight transportation, Liantang port also features a unique “one-stop” mode, meaning that freight vehicles can complete all immigration and customs clearance by stopping one time. Generally, the whole process takes only around 15 seconds for each vehicle, Wu said.
On Monday, staff members at the port were busy providing information to passengers and answering their questions. They also prepared hundreds of anti-pandemic packages, including masks and alcohol-based hand sanitizers, for travelers using the port.
Some Shenzhen residents who live nearby the port also came and took photos at the port to celebrate the special occasion.
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A ceremony to mark the full resumption of Hong Kong-mainland travel was held at the port on Monday morning.
Tang attended the event in-person with officials from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Shenzhen. He said that both the HKSAR government and residents have been yearning for the full-scale resumption of cross-border travel for a long time, adding that Hong Kong is ready to welcome visitors from rest of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the whole country.
Tang also said the Liantang port, which is located on the east side of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen border, would help strengthen the city’s economic connection with the eastern part of Guangdong province and nearby provinces.
Speaking at the same event, Wang Gang, director of the Office of Port of Entry and Exit of Shenzhen, said he is glad to see the checkpoints are busy again, and believes the full resumption of cross-boundary travel will further boost mainland-Hong Kong exchanges.