Prisca Tang

        Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng said in a speech yesterday that the opening of the new Qingmao pedestrian border checkpoint would strengthen the infrastructure of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and improve connections among the 11 GBA cities.

Ho made the remarks during the opening ceremony of the checkpoint yesterday morning.

Ho pointed out that the new checkpoint is one of the most important projects listed in the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area to upgrade the transportation network among the cities.

Ho noted that at its peak in 2019, the Barrier Gate checkpoint had 400,000 users per day, adding that the new Qingmao checkpoint is expected to help divert up to 200,000 people per day from the Barrer Gate checkpoint.

The chief executive pointed out that the new checkpoint is only around 800 metres away from the Barrier Gate checkpoint and open 24/7. He also underlined that the new checkpoint uses the “joint inspection and one-time release” immigration and customs clearance system, which makes the travelling process between Guangdong and Macau more efficient and convenient.

The checkpoint opened to the public at 3 p.m. yesterday.

Meanwhile, Guangdong Governor Ma Xingrui said that the opening of the new checkpoint can strengthen cooperation between Macau and the adjacent province, especially because the Qingmao checkpoint directly connects to the Guangzhou Intercity Railway in Gongbei so that Macau residents can easily travel within Guangdong.

A senior Public Security Police officer told reporters at the checkpoint in the afternoon that the first day of operations turned out to be “smooth” even though some people were confused by the “joint inspection and one-time release” system. He also urged residents to bring both their Macau ID and the Home Return Permit (回鄉證) to go through immigration and customs. He noted that the checkpoint’s 50 e-channels and two conventional counters started operating.

The officer pointed out that the name Qingmao is derived from the Mandarin name of Ilha Verde – Qingzhao (青洲) – and Maosheng Wei (茂盛圍), the area on the Zhuhai side.

Residents enter the new checkpoint at 3 p.m. yesterday when it officially opened to public. Photo: Prisca Tang

Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the new Qingmao pedestrian border checkpoint yesterday in Ilha Verde. Photo: GCS