New Huanggang Port: Institutional innovation boosts high-standard opening-up

On Oct 12, the new Huanggang Port between Shenzhen, Guangdong province, and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region officially opened. As the first 24-hour land port between Shenzhen and Hong Kong adopting the "one place, two inspections" model together with the "joint inspection and one-off clearance" mechanism, the new facility is more than a modern customs clearance hub. It stands as a landmark project for China to advance cooperation within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area through institutional opening-up, and will effectively boost the "hard connectivity", "soft connectivity" and "people-to-people connectivity" of the GBA. Its opening delivers a clear message to the world: China will remain firmly committed to opening-up and open its door even wider for cooperation.

High-standard opening-up

The highlight of the new Huanggang Port lies in its "one place, two inspections" and "joint inspection and one-off clearance" model. Within the same joint inspection building, inspection authorities of Shenzhen and Hong Kong exercise jurisdiction in accordance with their respective laws, while achieving high integration of inspection spaces. Travelers queue only once and submit information once; data is synchronously sent to back-end systems on both sides for parallel verification, followed by one-off clearance upon approval. Cross-border vehicles make a single stop for one-time data collection, with five authorities including border inspection and customs conducting synchronized examinations.

This innovative clearance model has drastically cut clearance time and facilitated the movement of people and goods. For travelers, clearance times have been reduced from the original 30 minutes to five minutes, with self-service channels completing the process in as fast as 20 seconds. For cross-border vehicles, clearance takes roughly two minutes, down from 10 minutes previously.

The value of this model lies not in technical stacking, but institutional wisdom. It does not merge the legal systems of the two sides. Instead, it achieves regulatory coordination through aligned rules, process reengineering and information sharing. It represents an innovative practice of cross-border governance under the framework of "one country, two systems", and a vivid example of institutional opening-up. It demonstrates to the world that China's opening-up is not merely about market access or tariff concessions. Rather, under the rule of law, China explores alignment in rules, regulations, administration and standards to expand the scope and depth of international cooperation at a higher level of opening-up.

Closer GBA integration

The new Huanggang Port is a landmark achievement in infrastructure interconnectivity for the GBA. Designed for a daily passenger throughput of 200,000, expandable to 300,000 over the long run, it operates round-the-clock and links up with the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Corridor. It breaks down barriers imposed by administrative boundaries between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, enabling more efficient flow of people, goods and information across the two cities.

Improved clearance efficiency directly supports in-depth integration of the GBA. Cross-border commuters can travel between Shenzhen and Hong Kong with greater ease. Residents on both sides enjoy smoother exchanges in education, healthcare, cultural and tourism sectors. Researchers and entrepreneurs benefit from freer movement of talent along the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Corridor. With tangible convenience, the new Huanggang Port turns the vision of a "one-hour living circle in the GBA" into reality, helps Hong Kong better integrate into national development and elevates coordinated development of the GBA to new heights.

Regional economic engine

An efficient clearance channel is essentially an "expressway" for economic development. The operation of the new Huanggang Port substantially cuts time and institutional costs for cross-border circulation, and promotes optimal allocation and agglomeration of capital, technology, talent, data and other factors between Shenzhen, Hong Kong and across the GBA.

People flows drive commercial flows, which in turn stimulate economic vitality. Easier travel facilitates business visits, investment negotiations and exhibitions. Smoother factor flows enable deeper coupling of industrial, innovation and supply chains in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. As a land gateway connecting the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, the new Huanggang Port will further strengthen Shenzhen's role as a hub and generate spillover effects for surrounding regions. It provides solid support for the GBA to build an international science and innovation center and world-class urban cluster with global influence, and fuels sustained prosperity of the regional economy.

Win-win cooperation

For foreign businesses, the new Huanggang Port brings tangible opportunities. First are market opportunities. Streamlined clearance grants access to a broader hinterland market. Leveraging this efficient gateway, foreign enterprises can connect more smoothly with the mainland market, integrate into the GBA industrial system and tap growth potential within China's super-large market.

Second are investment opportunities. Improved factor mobility and continuous optimization of the business environment reduce comprehensive costs for cross-border operations. This creates favorable conditions for foreign firms to deploy R&D, manufacturing, trade and services links across Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

Third are cooperation opportunities. China remains committed to advancing high-level opening-up and fostering a market-oriented, law-based and world-class business environment. The new Huanggang Port serves as a concrete testimony to this commitment, offering a new platform for foreign enterprises to participate in GBA development and share the dividends of China's growth.

A port mirrors a nation. The innovative practice of the new port epitomizes China's fundamental policy of opening-up. It acts as a window for deeper economic integration between China and the world, and a sincere expression of China's readiness to invite foreign investors to share development gains with greater resolve and concrete actions. China will keep advancing opening-up and maintain an open door for cooperation. We sincerely welcome global investors and enterprises to the GBA and China, to march forward alongside China, seize opportunities together and jointly write a new chapter of mutually beneficial development.

The writer is director of the Department of Economic System Reform at the Institute of Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.