National People's Congress Representatives and CPPCC Members Discuss Cross-border Clearance Facilitation in the Greater Bay Area

Reported by: Ministry of Public Security News Media

National People’s Congress deputies and CPPCC members discuss cross-border customs facilitation in the Greater Bay Area—calling for expanded implementation of “cooperative inspection, single clearance”

“Recommend gradually expanding the ‘cooperative inspection, single clearance’ customs model to more ports in the Greater Bay Area,” “Accelerate the promotion of smart facilities such as facial recognition and contactless clearance at new ports”—these topics have become hot topics among delegates and members at this year’s National Two Sessions, focusing on cross-border customs facilitation and intelligence in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The draft outline of the 14th Five-Year Plan proposes strengthening cooperation in trade, science, technology, and culture between Hong Kong, Macau, and the mainland, improving policies to facilitate the development and living conditions of Hong Kong and Macao residents in the mainland. It also advocates orderly promotion of financial market connectivity with the mainland, deepening innovation collaboration in industry, academia, and research. The plan emphasizes deepening cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, continuously pushing for breakthroughs in key areas, promoting coordinated development of ports, airports, and rail transit, building the Guangzhou-Zhuhai (Macao) high-speed rail, and advancing preliminary work on the Shenzhen-West Rail. It also aims to deepen the integrated development of Qianhai and Macao, and to build major cooperation platforms such as Qianhai, Nansha, and Hetao with high quality.

“Macau youth are very willing to develop in the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao Deep Cooperation Zone. Everyone looks forward to more convenient customs clearance and cross-border transportation. The related work still needs to be improved,” said Wu Xiaoli, President of the Macau Federation of Associations of Commerce and Industry, during a break at the open session of the Macau delegation on March 7. When asked how Macau youth can better integrate into the development of Qianhai and Macao, she emphasized that infrastructure connectivity is the top priority. She suggested summarizing successful experiences of the “cooperative inspection, single clearance” model at ports like the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Zhuhai port, Hengqin port, and Qingmao port, and gradually expanding this model to land ports such as Gongbei and Luohu, exploring extension to other qualified ports in the Greater Bay Area.

By “successful experience,” she refers to the implementation of the “cooperative inspection, single clearance” model at these ports, where travelers can complete customs clearance by “one hall, one queue, one inspection,” reducing average clearance time from about 5 minutes to a few seconds.

During the review of the “14th Five-Year Plan” draft, Liu Yiliang, President of the China Peaceful Reunification Promotion Association in Macau, suggested adding “ports” to the phrase “promote coordinated development of ports, airports, and rail transit” to highlight the importance of port clearance. He also recommended promoting the “cooperative inspection, single clearance” model at Gongbei port lanes and Macau Light Rail stations to improve operational efficiency between Macau and Guangdong ports.

Xie Jian, head of the Wulingding Business Office of China Post Group’s Zhuhai City Branch, who has long focused on the “hard connectivity” of infrastructure, “soft linkage” of rules and mechanisms, and emotional “heart-to-heart” connections among residents in the Greater Bay Area, has proposed initiatives such as free yacht travel among the three regions and establishing green channels for medical emergencies. Recently, he suggested building the Shenzhen-Zhuhai (Macao) passage. His research found that the customs clearance modes at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Zhuhai port and Qingmao port are fast, intelligent, and contactless, and he further recommended adopting these modes for the Shenzhen-Zhuhai (Macao) passage once completed.

According to reports, in response to suggestions from deputies and members on improving cross-border vehicle and personnel clearance between Hong Kong, Macao, and the mainland, the National Immigration Administration has promoted the use of intelligent clearance at some ports connecting with Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan by 2025. Notably, in November 2025, Hengqin port became the first in the country to implement “face recognition” smart clearance at the cooperative inspection fast lane, allowing eligible travelers to complete clearance within 15 seconds via facial recognition.

Li Congzheng, Vice President of the Macau Federation of Trade Unions and member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, believes that customs clearance facilitation is not only related to daily life and consumption needs but also to career development, social integration, and identity recognition. He recommends accelerating the promotion of contactless clearance technology and continuously improving its maturity and operational stability.

Sun Jianguo, Political Commissar of the Gaoming Branch of the Foshan Public Security Bureau in Guangdong, stated that expanding smart clearance aligns with the core needs of the Greater Bay Area’s integration. He suggested upgrading more land ports to “face recognition pass” models, improving the “cooperative inspection, single clearance” system to achieve contactless, efficient passage, and emphasizing safety and service by leveraging big data and artificial intelligence for precise management, establishing mechanisms for passenger flow alerts, peak flow management, and multilingual services to maximize convenience for travelers.