China News Service, Hong Kong, October 12. Title: Huanggang Port officially opened, Hong Kong and Shenzhen entered a new era of "one place, two inspections"
China News Service reporter Qiu Zhaoxiang Suo Youwei
In the early morning of October 12, before dawn, the new joint inspection building at Huanggang Port was brightly lit. The world's largest land port single building will officially take over at 6:30, replacing the temporary travel inspection building at Shenzhen Huanggang Port and Hong Kong's Lok Ma Chau Control Point, and will continue to serve residents in Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
Huanggang Port is China's first large-scale land port that implements 24-hour customs clearance. It has been in use for more than 30 years, and its customs clearance volume ranks first among China's land ports. In 2019, the Huanggang Port reconstruction project was officially launched. After consultation between the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong, the rebuilt Huanggang Port was officially opened for operation at 6:30 on October 12, 2026.
At about 6 o'clock in the morning, reporters at the Hong Kong port area saw that staff from the Immigration Department, Police Department and Customs of the Hong Kong SAR Government were already in place in the building, waiting for the first batch of passengers to arrive. From the public transportation interchange on the 2nd floor to the departure hall on the 5th floor, there are clear signs on the ground or posted on the wall every few steps to guide passengers to Shenzhen.
A "cooperative inspection" self-service channel about 3 meters long connects the two port areas of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, greatly simplifying the entry and exit procedures that were previously separated in the two places, forming a new customs clearance model of "cooperative inspection, one release". Now, passengers only need to queue once, check documents once, and verify identity once before they can pass through the inspection areas on both sides of the border and complete the entry-exit procedures in both places.
Ms. Huang, who had just finished her night shift, was the first passenger to enter Shenzhen from Hong Kong. She heard that the Huanggang Port would be officially opened this morning, so she came here specially to experience it. "The customs clearance method of 'one place, two inspections' is very surprising." Ms. Huang told reporters that from two inspection procedures to one "swipe the card and scan the face", the customs clearance efficiency has been greatly improved, and the experience has also been "full".
During the morning rush hour at Huanggang Port, cross-border students are also an important part that cannot be ignored. Yang, who studies in the Southern District of Hong Kong Island, is one of them. Compared with the "shuttle bus" model of Huanggang Port before the reconstruction, he can now smoothly enter Hong Kong from Shenzhen in just 5 minutes every day. In addition, the extensive public transportation network allows him to take buses directly to the school bus stop in San Tin, making his way to school much easier. "The time to pass the customs is shortened, and I can sleep half an hour longer in the morning." Classmate Yang said with a smile.
Ms. Wu, an American living in Shenzhen, travels between Hong Kong and Shenzhen all year round for work. The 24-hour Huanggang Port has almost become her only choice for commuting. In the entry hall of the Hong Kong port area, the "dual-counter" manual inspection channel that only needs to complete inspections in both places in one channel received a "like" from Ms. Wu. "Unlike other ports, the speed of passport inspection at Huanggang Port is very fast. All procedures can be completed in less than 1 minute, so that all foreigners can enjoy this convenience." Ms. Wu said.
Faced with the heavy traffic test during the morning rush hour on the first day of customs clearance, Tang Bingqiang, Secretary for Security of the Hong Kong SAR Government, said that "the overall operation of the port is very smooth." He introduced that from 6:30 to 8:30 in the morning, a total of 5,170 inbound and outbound passengers were recorded, an increase of more than 60% compared with the same period on weekdays; a total of 953 inbound and outbound vehicles were recorded, approximately 30% higher than the same period on weekdays. Facing the heavy pressure of people and vehicles, all cooperative inspection counters and "five-in-one" cooperative inspection lanes operated efficiently and stably.
Deng Bingqiang said that the official opening of the New Huanggang Port marks a new milestone in cross-border customs clearance services between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. In the face of the upcoming weekend passenger flow and the flow of people brought by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) series of meetings, various departments of the SAR government will continue to closely monitor the operation of the ports, review various services, and strive to provide convenient, safe and efficient customs clearance services for Hong Kong and Shenzhen citizens and tourists.
