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LCQ4: Cross-boundary land freight transport
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     Following is a question by the Hon Frankie Yick and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan, in the Legislative Council today (March 21):
 
Question:
 
     The Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point (LT/HYW BCP), now under construction, is expected to be commissioned by the end of this year.  However, the Governments of Hong Kong and Shenzhen have not yet released information on the operation of the BCP, such as daily operating hours, clearance arrangements and the ancillary facilities to be provided therein.  It has been reported that the Shenzhen Municipal Government will proceed with the reconstruction of the Huanggang Port, and the Port will not provide cargo clearance service upon re-opening.  Some members of the logistics industry are worried that as there will no longer be any BCP providing round-the-clock cargo clearance service between Hong Kong and Shenzhen by then, cross-boundary land freight transport will be seriously affected.  In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether there will be other BCPs providing round-the-clock cargo clearance service after the Huanggang Port has ceased to provide such service;
 
(2) whether it knows if the parking facilities at LT/HYW BCP will be sufficient to cope with the operational needs of the logistics industry; and
 
(3) whether it knows the details of the ancillary facilities on the Shenzhen side of LT/HYW BCP; given that the utilization rate of the Shenzhen Bay Port was on the low side during its initial phase of commissioning due to the lack of ancillary facilities on the Shenzhen side, what measures the Governments of Hong Kong and Shenzhen have in place to prevent the occurrence of such problem in LT/HYW BCP?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     There are currently four road-based boundary control points (BCPs) connecting Hong Kong and the Mainland, namely Lok Ma Chau, Sha Tau Kok, Man Kam To and Shenzhen Bay.  Their average daily traffic volume is about 44 000 vehicle trips, of which 19 800 are made by goods vehicles (GVs).  All BCPs serve both passenger and cargo freight traffic.  Except for live poultry and vegetables which are required to be imported via designated point of entry, i.e. the Man Kam To BCP, the cross boundary freight trade may choose any of the four BCPs for transportation of cargo between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
 
     At present, the Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok BCPs are open from 7am to 10pm; and the Shenzhen Bay BCP from 6.30am to midnight.  Lok Ma Chau BCP is the only BCP that operates round-the-clock.  We have been closely monitoring the operation of these BCPs and have been maintaining close contact and liaison with the relevant Mainland authorities to ensure smooth operation of the BCPs.
 
     The Government is also pressing ahead with the construction of the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point (LT/HYW BCP), and is planning the commissioning arrangements of the BCP with the Mainland authorities concerned.
 
     Regarding the questions raised by the Hon Frankie Yick, my responses are as follows:
 
(1) The four existing BCPs between Hong Kong and Shenzhen are for use by both passengers and cargo.  The Shenzhen Municipal Government has explored the feasibility of rationalising the various boundary crossings for cargo clearance and has briefed the relevant bureaux and departments of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) on their proposal.  As far as we understand, the Shenzhen side proposes to cease the provision of cargo clearance service at the Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok BCPs, and divert the freight traffic to the soon-to-be-commissioned LT/HYW BCP in the east and the Shenzhen Bay BCP in the west respectively.
 
     We have consulted the local cross-boundary freight sector on the above proposal through the Transport Department.  In general, members of the trade are concerned about the opening hours of the BCPs for cargo clearance.  They are of the view that round-the-clock cargo clearance service should be provided at another BCPs should the service at the Lok Ma Chau BCP (i.e. the only BCP with 24-hour operation at present) cease.  We agree that there should be at least one BCP offering round-the-clock cargo clearance service to meet the operational needs of the cross-boundary freight sector.
 
     We have relayed the above views to the Shenzhen side and have been proactively pursuing the arrangement.  We understand that the Shenzhen side is still formulating its rationalisation proposal and the relevant implementation details.  We will take into account the views of our local transportation and logistics sectors as well as other stakeholders, and will consult them in a timely manner when more concrete information is available.
 
(2) The LT/HYW BCP under construction will be the first BCP in Hong Kong with direct access facilities for both passengers and vehicles.  It will connect the Shenzhen Eastern Corridor and will provide an efficient cross-boundary access to the eastern Shenzhen, Huizhou, eastern Guangdong as well as the neighbouring provinces.  The BCP is expected to handle 30 000 passenger trips and 17 850 vehicle trips per day upon its completion.
 
     During the planning stage of the LT/HYW BCP, the Government has ensured that sufficient facilities would be put in place to support the needs of the freight industry.  On cross-boundary traffic arrangements of GVs, clearance facilities are provided at the inbound and outbound cargo clearance areas.  Given that one of the main functions of the LT/HYW BCP is for border control of cross boundary GVs, same as the design of the other four existing BCPs, no parking facilities for GVs will be provided.  On the other hand, queuing spaces for GVs are provided inside the BCP for immigration and cargo clearance of cross-boundary GVs at the BCP.  If cross-boundary GVs fail to enter the Hong Kong side of the BCP during its closure, they may leave the BCP by turning around at the roundabout near the BCP.
 
(3) The HKSAR Government has been maintaining close liaison with the Mainland authorities via various channels in taking forward the LT/HYW BCP project, including issues such as the interface design, construction and commissioning arrangements (e.g. opening hours).
 
     We note the trade's concerns about the need to provide sufficient ancillary facilities (e.g. office buildings for transportation companies to set up their offices and public transport services connecting to the BCP) at the Shenzhen side of the BCP for supporting cargo declaration and clearance.  We have been keeping close contact with the relevant Shenzhen authorities in this regard and convey the trade's views for their consideration of implementing facilitation measures as necessary.  Rationalising the functions of BCPs would involve detailed arrangements on various fronts and would take time to liaise and arrange.  We understand the trade's concerns and will keep in view the latest development of the matter.  We will consult relevant stakeholders timely, keep them informed of the details and communicate with them once more detailed information is available.
 
Ends/Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Issued at HKT 15:15
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