New Huanggang Port will help divert passenger flow

(New Huanggang Port will help divert passenger flow, more athletes becoming Hong Kong residents)

Director of Immigration Benson Kwok says after the new Huanggang Port building is put into use, it will help divert some of the passenger flow from the current overburdened land border checkpoints.

He also reveals a European female tennis player has become a Hong Kong resident through the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme.

Hong Kong's cross-border passenger numbers have hit new highs in recent years, with several land border checkpoints exceeding their capacity.

Director of Immigration Benson Kwok states on a TVB programme that the new Huanggang Port building, which is expected to handel 300,000 passengers per day, will help divert some of the passenger flow.

He says many Hong Kong residents, especially the elderly, can take buses to the Heung Yuen Wai checkpoint for just two dollars, which makes the checkpoint very popular. The future Huanggang Port will have similar features and serve the same group of people.

The new port building requires travellers to pass through only one customs checkpoint with three gates inside. There is little delay in clearance systems between Hong Kong and the mainland. It takes about 20 seconds to fully pass the gates, eliminating the need to queue multiple times.

As for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge checkpoint, which is currently piloting a seamless clearance system, Kwok says more than 50,000 people have used it in the past two months. The results are satisfactory and the system may be extended in the future.

In addition, internationally-renowned snooker player Jimmy White has recently become a Hong Kong resident through the QMAS. Benson Kwok says from 2023 to the first half of this year, 138 active or retired athletes have been brought in, among whom more than ten are snooker players. He also reveals a European female tennis player has recently become a Hong Kong resident and will come to Hong Kong to compete in November.