On the 14th, the Hong Kong SAR government published the "Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area Bill" (hereinafter referred to as the "Bill") in the Gazette to implement the relevant authorization from the central government and provide a legal basis for the implementation of the "one place, two inspections" arrangement at the rebuilt Huanggang Port. The draft regulation will be submitted to the Legislative Council of the Special Administrative Region for first and second readings on the 15th.
It is reported that the State Council issued an approval on July 8th regarding the opening of the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area and related extension areas, determining the specific coordinates and area of the Hong Kong Port Area, and agreeing that the Hong Kong Port Area will be opened from 0:00 on July 31, 2026 and will be governed in accordance with the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The official opening date will be agreed upon by the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong.
It is reported that the main contents of the draft regulation include: declaring certain areas located at Huanggang Port in mainland China as Hong Kong port areas; Apply Hong Kong laws to the Hong Kong port area and establish provisions for the jurisdiction of Hong Kong courts in this regard; Expand the territorial boundaries of certain rights and obligations to include the port area of Hong Kong; Develop provisions to assist in interpreting certain future documents and court orders.
A spokesperson for the Special Administrative Region government stated that the reconstruction project of Huanggang Port is one of the key projects that the government actively integrates into the overall development of the country. The rebuilt Huanggang Port is located in Futian District, Shenzhen, and is positioned as the most important 24-hour passenger land port between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The draft regulation provides a legal basis for the establishment of a Hong Kong port area within Huanggang Port and the implementation of jurisdiction in the area in accordance with the law.
The reconstructed Huanggang Port will implement the "one place, two inspections" arrangement and the "cooperative inspection, one-time release" customs clearance mode, further improving the passenger clearance experience and efficiency. The overall clearance time at the rebuilt Huanggang Port will be significantly reduced from about 30 minutes at the original Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port to about 5 minutes. After the reconstruction, the designed clearance flow of Huanggang Port will increase to 200000 people per day, and after the opening of the MTR North Link branch line, it can be further increased to 300000 people per day.
At present, the main construction of the Huanggang Port Joint Inspection Building has been basically completed, and the contractors in Shenzhen and Hong Kong are simultaneously carrying out the internal engineering and installation of the necessary facilities of the building. After both Guangdong and Hong Kong complete the preparatory work and finalize the official opening date of Huanggang Port, it will be announced to the public in a timely manner.