The cargo clearance facilities of the Liantang Port (LP)/Heung Yuen Wai (HYW) Boundary Control Point (BCP) opened today (August 26). The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam; the Secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, Mr Li Xi; the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Ma Xingrui; Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council Mr Zhang Xiaoming; the Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Mr Luo Huining; the Director General of the Guangdong Sub-Administration of the General Administration of Customs, Mr Zhang Guangzhi; the Head of the National Office of Port Administration of the General Administration of Customs, Mr Huang Guansheng; the Secretary of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee, Mr Wang Weizhong; and the Mayor of the Shenzhen Municipal Government, Mr Chen Rugui, jointly officiated at the opening ceremony of the BCP at the Customs Cargo Inspection Area of the LP in Shenzhen.
Mrs Lam led a delegation of officials of the HKSAR Government to attend the opening ceremony of the BCP. Addressing the ceremony, she said that the opening of the LP/HYW BCP on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone was particularly meaningful. The new BCP greatly shortens the travelling time between Hong Kong, Shenzhen and eastern Guangdong, thereby facilitating the smooth and efficient operation of cross-boundary logistics; furthering the co-operation and development of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, eastern Guangdong and neighbouring provinces; enhancing the "one-hour living circle" of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao; and providing extremely favourable infrastructure connectivity for the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
She said that construction of the LP/HYW BCP has fully reflected the people-oriented principle. The design of the Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) of the new BCP made reference to the winning design of an international competition co-organised by Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and the HYW BCP in Hong Kong is the first BCP to adopt the design principle of "direct access to people and vehicles", bringing greater convenience to people.
Highlighting in her speech that the HKSAR Government had to reprovision the entire Chuk Yuen Village to make way for the building of the PTB, she said the issue was peacefully resolved thanks to the understanding and co-operation of the villagers. She expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Mr Lau Wong-fat, the late Chairman of the Heung Yee Kuk, for his efforts in making possible the smooth reprovisioning of the village. She also thanked all the people participating in the construction of the BCP for their contributions.
The LP/HYW BCP is the seventh land-based control point between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The cargo clearance facilities of the new BCP opened first at 4pm today, and will operate from 7am to 10pm daily. As for the passenger facilities, relevant departments will review the situation and commission the facilities at a suitable time taking into account the epidemic situation and the cross-boundary anti-epidemic measures.
After the ceremony, Mrs Lam, accompanied by the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Alfred Sit; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai; and the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, visited the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Co-operation Zone in Shenzhen, where Mr Chen gave a briefing on the latest developments of the zone. Mrs Lam said she was pleased to note that there are currently 370 000 square metres of space for scientific research in the zone and more than 100 projects have established a presence there or have shown an interest in doing so. Development of the zone is making good progress and it will have strong links and co-operation with the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park located in the Lok Ma Chau Loop. She said that the HKSAR Government is moving forward with the work of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park at full steam, with a view to making the first batch of land parcels available by 2021, completing the first-stage construction of three buildings by the end of 2024 and allowing tenants to move in by early 2025.
Mrs Lam and the other officials then visited the youth innovation and entrepreneurship projects of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. They also visited the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao youth innovation and entrepreneur workshop and exchanged views with young Hong Kong entrepreneurs who started businesses there. She pointed out that the HKSAR Government is committed to promoting youth innovation and entrepreneurship in the Greater Bay Area, and said the Government has rolled out a new subsidy scheme under the Youth Development Fund to provide support to Hong Kong young people who are interested in starting their businesses in Hong Kong and in the Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area. She expressed the hope that they can seize the opportunities of the Greater Bay Area's development and integrate into the overall development of the nation.
After the visit, Mrs Lam and the other officials attended a lunch hosted by Mr Chen and returned to Hong Kong.
Ends/Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Issued at HKT 19:33NNNN
