China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee is set to consider legislation that would grant Hong Kong jurisdiction over a portion of the redeveloped Huanggang Port in Shenzhen under a “co-location” arrangement when the facility opens next month. The upcoming session, scheduled for next week in Beijing, will review a bill authorizing Hong Kong’s legal authority over the Hong Kong Port Area within the Huanggang Port complex and its adjacent zones.
The Huanggang Port redevelopment replaces the existing Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang crossing as the sole 24-hour passage linking Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The new facility, located entirely in Shenzhen, is designed to streamline cross-border travel by housing immigration checkpoints for both sides under one roof. This arrangement eliminates the need for passengers to take a shuttle bus across the Shenzhen River for clearance procedures.
Under the co-location model, Hong Kong government officials will exercise jurisdiction within the designated Hong Kong Port Area inside the new building, which features automated immigration clearance gates alongside those operated by mainland authorities. Hong Kong’s Security Bureau has indicated that this model, combined with a joint clearance process, will simplify border crossing formalities. Travelers will complete all required checks in a single queue and pass through three gates, reducing clearance time from approximately 30 minutes to around five minutes.
This approach follows earlier co-location schemes implemented at Shenzhen Bay Port in 2007 and at West Kowloon high-speed rail terminus in 2018. At Shenzhen Bay, Hong Kong officers exercise authority on mainland soil within a designated zone, while at West Kowloon, mainland authorities enforce their laws within a portion of the facility, a setup that previously generated controversy due to concerns about the application of mainland law in Hong Kong under the city’s Basic Law.
Starry Lee Wai-king, Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, expressed her intention to actively engage in the upcoming deliberations. She emphasized that passing the bill promptly would establish the necessary legal framework to facilitate convenient cross-border travel in the future. Lee also highlighted the significance of Huanggang as a key gateway between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, underscoring the arrangement’s potential to enhance connectivity within the Greater Bay Area.
In addition to the jurisdictional bill, the committee’s agenda includes reviewing progress on a pilot program enabling legal practitioners from Hong Kong and Macau to obtain mainland Chinese qualifications to practice in the nine mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area. This regional initiative seeks to further integrate Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangdong province’s cities into a unified economic hub.
The newly redeveloped Huanggang Port Building spans approximately 689,750 square meters and is designed to accommodate up to 200,000 passengers daily. Hong Kong and Shenzhen authorities have established a joint working group tasked with managing operations at the upgraded crossing. The facility is slated to begin operations in July.