The integration of mainland China and Hong Kong is unstoppable, and the latest development is the implementation of cross-border self-drive tours, allowing vehicles from Hong Kong and Guangdong Province to travel between the two regions by land. The first phase will enable Hong Kong cars to drive north to Guangdong, while the next phase will allow mainland vehicles to drive south to Hong Kong. Hong Kong government officials emphasized that safety is the top priority, and only after ensuring safety will the authorities allow mainland vehicles to enter Hong Kong, aiming to reassure residents.
Sources revealed that Hong Kong and Guangdong Province will release details on February 10 about the official program called the “Guangdong-Hong Kong Cross-boundary Private Car Trial Scheme for One-off Special Quotas.” The first phase will officially take effect in March, allowing approved Hong Kong private cars to drive north to Guangdong by land. As for arrangements for mainland vehicles driving south to Hong Kong, no timeline has been set yet.
Entry channels have been opened
It is understood that in the first phase, only 50 one-day quotas for Hong Kong private cars will be issued daily, which will gradually increase to 500 in the future. Hong Kong private cars with quotas will be allowed to stay in Guangdong for up to seven days and must obtain relevant insurance. Currently, four dedicated self-drive tour entry lanes have been set up at the Shenzhen Bay Port.
Secretary for Transport and Housing Nicholas Ng, who is responsible for the related policy, emphasized that the self-drive tours planned for March are only meant to facilitate Hong Kong residents driving conveniently to Guangdong, and definitely not to allow mainlanders to drive to Hong Kong. As for when mainlanders will be allowed to drive to Hong Kong, there is absolutely no timeline, as the premise is that the Hong Kong and mainland governments must first resolve and find ways to address various concerns raised by the public.
Nicholas Ng emphasized that allowing mainlanders to drive to Hong Kong for self-drive tours is part of the second phase, for which there are currently no details or a set timeline. The authorities will explore solutions with the mainland and report back to the Legislative Council panel on the first of next month.
Legislative Council member Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee from the pro-people’s party believes that the authorities should reconsider whether it is worth allowing mainlanders to drive to Hong Kong for self-drive tours, just to accommodate the rights of some Hong Kong residents who can drive to the mainland.
pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) chairman Tam Yiu-chung said in the Legislative Council that the DAB supports the policy but hopes the government and mainland authorities will properly handle safety issues.
Regarding claims that the policy could worsen the issue of mainland “double non” pregnant women (neither having Hong Kong residency nor being married to a Hong Kong resident) crossing the border, Tam Yiu-chung believes these are two separate issues and that administrative measures can address the double non problem.
In fact, the upcoming implementation of the cross-border self-drive tour policy has sparked a new wave of anti-mainland sentiment among netizens. A Facebook group called “Over 100,000 Hong Kong People Strongly Oppose Self-Drive Tours Destroying Hong Kong Next Month,” established last week, had over 40,000 members as of yesterday.
Incompatible traffic rules
Netizens pointed out that traffic rules in the two regions are vastly different. For example, if mainland private cars are allowed to enter Hong Kong, there are concerns that vehicles may drive recklessly in Hong Kong, leading to frequent accidents. Some also worry that self-drive tours would indirectly facilitate smuggling, passenger transport, and parallel trading, exacerbating issues such as baby formula shortages. Some users have set up groups on social media to organize protests against self-drive tours entering Hong Kong on the 12th of this month, with nearly 3,000 people indicating their participation so far.
Some professionals in the transportation industry believe that allowing left-hand drive mainland vehicles to drive in Hong Kong for self-drive tours would have a serious impact on Hong Kong’s road safety and drivers, as left-hand drive vehicles have different structures from Hong Kong’s right-hand drive vehicles. There are also significant differences in driving culture and legal systems between the two regions. If Hong Kong residents are involved in car accidents in the mainland, they may be detained along with their vehicles by the public security authorities, but mainlanders involved in accidents in Hong Kong are not detained, making it even more difficult to claim compensation from them. They suggest that the authorities must conduct in-depth research on the legal procedures.
In addition, the cooperation between Hong Kong and Guangdong Province also includes the electronic payment systems of the two regions. Octopus Cards Limited, Hong Kong’s largest electronic payment system, stated that the jointly developed dual-use card with Guangdong’s Lingnan Pass is expected to be launched in the middle of the year, with issuance details to be announced later. The new Octopus-Lingnan Pass dual-use card will be issued anonymously and will not involve any personal user data. The Octopus-Lingnan Pass dual-use card will be applicable to public transportation and retail payment networks in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Foshan, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing, Shanwei, and Huizhou.