The Macau government announced yesterday that the first 15 of the 30 permanent vehicle inspection channels at the Hengqin joint border checkpoint will come into service at 3 p.m. on Tuesday next week on a trial-operation basis.
The local government also announced that a link between the University of Macau (UM) campus on Hengqin island and the Macau-side checkpoint zone of the Hengqin joint checkpoint will open at the same time.
Since the Macau-mainland joint checkpoint on Zhuhai’s Hengqin island came into service on August 18, 2020, only temporary vehicle inspection channels have been operating for vehicles crossing the border, because the construction of the permanent channels was still ongoing at that time.
Similar to the Hengqin checkpoint’s pedestrian inspection channels, which opened in August 2020, a joint Macau-mainland immigration and customs clearance system officially known as “joint inspection and one-time release” will also be adopted at its permanent vehicle inspection channels where vehicles will be required to pass border controls only once when completing their departure and arrival formalities.
Due to their limited space and capacity, the “joint inspection and one-time release” system is not adopted at the Hengqin checkpoint’s current temporary vehicle inspection channels, meaning that vehicles crossing the border are currently still required to pass border controls twice, when travelling from Macau to Hengqin, and vice versa.
Currently, there are only eight temporary vehicle inspection channels – four departure and four arrival channels.
The Macau government announced details of next Tuesday’s trial operational start of the Hengqin checkpoint’s first 15 permanent vehicle inspection channels in a statement yesterday.
After the completion of the respective construction work earlier this year, the jurisdiction over an area of the Hengqin joint checkpoint used for the permanent vehicle inspection channels was transferred from Guangdong to the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) on April 20.
The construction of the UM campus-Hengqin checkpoint link was completed at the end of July, after which the jurisdiction over the new link was transferred from Guangdong to the MSAR on August 1.
Macau’s laws and regulations are applicable in the areas of the Hengqin joint checkpoint where jurisdiction has been transferred from Guangdong to the MSAR.
A statement by the Secretariat for Security (GSS) announced yesterday that as jointly agreed by the Hengqin and Macau authorities, 15 permanent vehicle inspection channels at the Hengqin joint checkpoint will start their trial operation at 3 p.m. on Tuesday next week.
The Lotus Flower Bridge, which connects Cotai and the Macau-side checkpoint zone of the Hengqin joint checkpoint, will resume full operation at the same time next Tuesday, the statement said.
The 1,756-metre-long Lotus Flower Bridge, which opened in March 2020, has six vehicular lanes in total – three in each direction. However, only some of the lanes have been open to vehicular traffic since a few years ago due to road system projects around the Hengqin joint checkpoint.
Immigration hall for vehicle passengers not yet ready
According to the statement, the first 15 permanent vehicle inspection channels will comprise nine departure channels (from Macau to Hengqin) and six arrival channels (from Hengqin to Macau).
The same as currently, only four special groups of vehicle passengers will be allowed to pass border controls via the permanent vehicle inspection channels with the drivers, namely those aged 70 or over, those aged 10 or below, pregnant women, and those with disabilities, according to the statement.
There will be an immigration hall next to the permanent vehicle inspection channels for other passengers to pass border controls. However, yesterday’s statement said that as the construction of the immigration hall is still not completed, so for the time being passengers not in the four special groups will still be required to pass border controls via the pedestrian checkpoint building.
UM campus-Hengqin checkpoint link to only open to vehicles initially
Currently, only public buses, coaches, and taxis, as well as vehicles with a Guangdong-Macau dual licence plate, and vehicles with a permit to travel within Hengqin, colloquially known as a single licence plate, are allowed to use the Lotus Flower Bridge travelling between Cotai and the Hengqin checkpoint’s Macau-administered zone.
Yesterday’s statement also announced that from 3 p.m. next Tuesday all other cars will be allowed to travel to the Hengqin checkpoint’s Macau-administered zone via the Lotus Flower Bridge or the new UM campus-Hengqin checkpoint link.
The new UM campus-Hengqin checkpoint link will be earmarked for both vehicles and pedestrians. However, yesterday’s statement said that because of the still ongoing facility-improvement projects around the Hengqin checkpoint’s Macau-administered zone, the pedestrian passage on the UM campus-Hengqin checkpoint link will still not open next Tuesday when only vehicular traffic will start.
The statement pledged that the Hengqin and Macau authorities will continue to work intensively with the aim of opening all permanent vehicle inspection channels and the adjacent immigration hall for vehicle passengers before long.
Media trip
Meanwhile, the government yesterday arranged for media workers to visit the Hengqin checkpoint’s permanent vehicle inspection channels, where Public Security Police (PSP) officer Ho Chi Wa said that the 15 channels’ trial operation will enable the authorities to gather data with the aim of tackling possible flaws and making possible improvements to the border-control system in better preparation for future full operation.
The permanent vehicle inspection channels comprise e-channels and manual inspection channels. During yesterday’s visit, the police deployed cars to show reporters how drivers can use the e-channels.
Public Security Police (PSP) officer Ho Chi Wa yesterday briefs reporters about the operation of permanent vehicle inspection channels at Hengqin checkpoint while a car is being driven through an e-channel. – Photos: Tony Wong
A car driver has her biometrics checked by an e-channel device during yesterday’s test run arranged for the media by the police.
