Hong Kong and Shenzhen officials have pledged to overhaul the region’s busiest land border crossings after a high-level task-force meeting in Hong Kong on 26 November 2025. Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung and Shenzhen Vice-Mayor Luo Huanghao co-chaired the session, which brought together Hong Kong’s Immigration, Customs, Health and Architectural Services departments with Shenzhen’s Port-of-Entry Office.
According to a joint communiqué, the two sides endorsed detailed timetables to rebuild the Huanggang and Sha Tau Kok Boundary Control Points (BCPs) into “24-hour, one-stop, smart” facilities by 2028. Plans include facial-recognition e-lanes that can clear travellers in under 15 seconds; dedicated electric-vehicle corridors with on-site charging; and a single-window cargo system that will let logistics firms pre-clear trucks before they reach the frontier.
The meeting comes as daily passenger flows between the two cities have rebounded to roughly 700,000—about 95 % of pre-pandemic peaks. Bottlenecks at the existing checkpoints have increasingly frustrated business travellers who shuttle across the border for same-day meetings and factory inspections. Tang said Hong Kong will pilot an expanded “Contactless e-Channel” next spring that allows frequent travellers to use only their faces and a digital travel credential stored in a mobile wallet. Luo confirmed that Shenzhen will reciprocate with a compatible system so that “commuters experience one queuing, one clearance.”
![Hong Kong and Shenzhen Agree on Faster, Smarter Border Checkpoints]()
For multinationals that base Greater Bay Area regional hubs in Hong Kong, the upgrades promise to cut cross-border transit times by up to 40 minutes each way. Logistics operators also expect savings: current waiting times of two to three hours at Huanggang during evening peaks translate into higher driver costs and inventory delays. The redevelopment will add 32 customs bays and 400 parking spaces to separate empty containers, hazardous goods and cold-chain trucks, easing congestion.
Analysts at Deloitte note that while the two governments have announced infrastructure blueprints before, the establishment of a standing task-force with quarterly progress reviews signals stronger political will. Funding for Hong Kong’s side—estimated at HK$16 billion—will come from the Capital Works Reserve Fund, while Shenzhen will finance its portion through a Guangdong provincial infrastructure bond. Both cities will seek private-sector concessions for duty-free retail and electric-charging operations, potentially opening opportunities for airport-style commercial tenders.
In practical terms, employers with staff who cross the border daily should begin auditing travel patterns and ensuring passports or Home Return Permits have embedded biometric chips that meet the new “smart gate” specifications. Companies moving temperature-sensitive goods may wish to engage early with customs on the cargo pre-clearance pilot to secure priority slots. If the project stays on schedule, phased construction will start in mid-2026, with the first smart e-lanes at Huanggang opening as early as the Lunar New Year rush in 2027.
According to a joint communiqué, the two sides endorsed detailed timetables to rebuild the Huanggang and Sha Tau Kok Boundary Control Points (BCPs) into “24-hour, one-stop, smart” facilities by 2028. Plans include facial-recognition e-lanes that can clear travellers in under 15 seconds; dedicated electric-vehicle corridors with on-site charging; and a single-window cargo system that will let logistics firms pre-clear trucks before they reach the frontier.
The meeting comes as daily passenger flows between the two cities have rebounded to roughly 700,000—about 95 % of pre-pandemic peaks. Bottlenecks at the existing checkpoints have increasingly frustrated business travellers who shuttle across the border for same-day meetings and factory inspections. Tang said Hong Kong will pilot an expanded “Contactless e-Channel” next spring that allows frequent travellers to use only their faces and a digital travel credential stored in a mobile wallet. Luo confirmed that Shenzhen will reciprocate with a compatible system so that “commuters experience one queuing, one clearance.”
For multinationals that base Greater Bay Area regional hubs in Hong Kong, the upgrades promise to cut cross-border transit times by up to 40 minutes each way. Logistics operators also expect savings: current waiting times of two to three hours at Huanggang during evening peaks translate into higher driver costs and inventory delays. The redevelopment will add 32 customs bays and 400 parking spaces to separate empty containers, hazardous goods and cold-chain trucks, easing congestion.
Analysts at Deloitte note that while the two governments have announced infrastructure blueprints before, the establishment of a standing task-force with quarterly progress reviews signals stronger political will. Funding for Hong Kong’s side—estimated at HK$16 billion—will come from the Capital Works Reserve Fund, while Shenzhen will finance its portion through a Guangdong provincial infrastructure bond. Both cities will seek private-sector concessions for duty-free retail and electric-charging operations, potentially opening opportunities for airport-style commercial tenders.
In practical terms, employers with staff who cross the border daily should begin auditing travel patterns and ensuring passports or Home Return Permits have embedded biometric chips that meet the new “smart gate” specifications. Companies moving temperature-sensitive goods may wish to engage early with customs on the cargo pre-clearance pilot to secure priority slots. If the project stays on schedule, phased construction will start in mid-2026, with the first smart e-lanes at Huanggang opening as early as the Lunar New Year rush in 2027.
