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Oct 17, 2026

Hong Kong’s revamped Huanggang Port quiet ahead of expected holiday rush

Hong Kong’s revamped Huanggang Port is expected to handle more than 100,000 passenger trips a day over the Chung Yeung Festival long weekend, although its departure hall remained quiet on Saturday morning. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said the border crossing had operated smoothly since opening on Monday, handling about 80,000 passenger trips a day, with the figure exceeding 92,000 on Friday. That represented a 1.5-fold to almost twofold increase from the 30,000 to 40,000 trips...

Travellers get Chung Yeung headstart at Huanggang

Oct 17, 2026

Many people from Hong Kong tried out the new Huanggang port on Saturday as they headed for the mainland at the start of the long Chung Yeung Festival weekend. They had nothing but praise for the new facility. One of them, a Mr So, said he was crossing over to the mainland on a day trip. “I used to opt for the checkpoint at Lok Ma Chau. But I think this port seemed quite beautiful,” he said. “In the future, I would probably choose this port as it is bigger.” A woman, Chan, said she was headed north with friends for leisure. “We came from Yuen Long Plaza. The journey took 20 to 25 minutes. It’s very convenient,” she said. “As this port is new, so far it’s not too crowded and it’s very smooth.” Another traveller, Cheung, said she only had to take a bus to the checkpoint instead of having to interchange from a bus to the train to make it to the other crossings. The new facility, she calculated, resulted in savings in terms of time as well as travel costs of more than HK$20 per journey. A man, Fan, said he often goes to the mainland during his free time. “I have tried other crossings, so this was my first time using this port. This one is more convenient from where I live compared to the others.” Commissioner of Customs and Excise Chan Tsz-tat carried out an inspection of operations in the morning at the crossing, where ambassadors were stationed to assist travellers. Edited by Tony Sabine

Travellers get Chung Yeung headstart at Huanggang

Oct 17, 2026

Many people from Hong Kong tried out the new Huanggang port on Saturday as they headed for the mainland at the start of the long Chung Yeung Festival weekend. They had nothing but praise for the new facility. One of them, a Mr So, said he was crossing over to the mainland on a day trip. “I used to opt for the checkpoint at Lok Ma Chau. But I think this port seemed quite beautiful,” he said. “In the future, I would probably choose this port as it is bigger.” A woman, Chan, said she was headed north with friends for leisure. “We came from Yuen Long Plaza. The journey took 20 to 25 minutes. It’s very convenient,” she said. “As this port is new, so far it’s not too crowded and it’s very smooth.” Another traveller, Cheung, said she only had to take a bus to the checkpoint instead of having to interchange from a bus to the train to make it to the other crossings. The new facility, she calculated, resulted in savings in terms of time as well as travel costs of more than HK$20 per journey. A man, Fan, said he often goes to the mainland during his free time. “I have tried other crossings, so this was my first time using this port. This one is more convenient from where I live compared to the others.” Commissioner of Customs and Excise Chan Tsz-tat carried out an inspection of operations in the morning at the crossing, where ambassadors were stationed to assist travellers. Edited by Tony Sabine

Law confident of HK hitting target of 53.8m visitors

Oct 17, 2026

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law said she was confident Hong Kong would meet its target of 53.8 million visitor arrivals this year, thanks to a packed schedule of mega events, trade conventions and international conferences. Speaking on a Commercial Radio programme on Saturday, she said “nine months have already passed and we have seen 40.7 million visitor arrivals and compared to last year, there has been a steady double-digit increase". “There is a good reason for believing we can reach 53.8 million visitor arrivals by the end of the year because many more people visited the city during the Golden Week in October and we have so many good activities and mega events coming up.” The city has had to cope with the challenge of rising fuel prices this year, which have reduced short-haul visitors – notably those from Southeast Asia – but arrivals from the mainland and long-haul markets remain healthy, Law pointed out. Regarding the opening of Huanggang port on Monday, she said the crossing provided tourists with an additional travel option. She said officials would be monitoring to see which crossings travellers used during upcoming large concert events to guide future planning. On the National Day Golden Week holiday, Law said arrivals from the mainland had exceeded expectations. She said this was because the Golden Week came very soon after the Mid-Autumn Festival, which fell at the end of September this year, that saw a grand lantern carnival held at Victoria Park, which drew about 730,000 visitors. Law said that with more convenient transport links and new checkpoints, the government would continue to stage distinctive, time-limited events to attract different types of visitors. Edited by Tony Sabine

Oct 17, 2026

A Promise Across the Sea

Oct 17, 2026

China willing to deepen cooperation with Croatia, says Chinese FM

China is willing to work with Croatia to achieve greater outcomes in bilateral cooperation, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi when holding talks with Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman in Zagreb on Friday.

'Huanggang crossings almost double those of before'

Oct 17, 2026

The number of travellers passing through the new Huanggang port is, on average, almost double that of the old one, Secretary for Security Chris Tang said on Saturday. He pointed out that overall operations at the crossing had been smooth since its opening almost a week ago, as it heads into its first travel peak this long weekend for the Chung Yeung Festival. Taking to the airwaves, Tang said around 80,000 travellers used the crossing daily from when it opened on Monday to Thursday. “On Friday, there were more than 90,000 people – 92,000," he said. "How many more was this compared to before? There used to be about 30,000 to 40,000 travellers. “This means it is roughly 1.5 times more. On certain days, it is even double.” Despite the surge in travellers, Tang said, the average border crossing under the co-location arrangement, which features a “collaborative inspection and joint clearance” model, was taking less than five minutes in general. He revealed that more than 300,000 people had registered for the “collaborative inspection” automated channels on the Immigration Department’s mobile app since its launch on October 6. The number of people making the crossings at the Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line checkpoints have, he pointed out, also fallen slightly by three to seven percent as some travellers opted for Huanggang port instead. With the start of Chung Yeung Festival long weekend on Saturday, Tang believed daily crossings would surpass 100,000 during the three-day period at Huanggang. “We have made all preparations for the possible increase in passenger flows. These include sufficient manpower to ensure that all channels – automated and manual – can be fully opened at any time.” Authorities have also stepped up manpower deployments at Huanggang port's public transport interchange to ensure there will be no congestion, Tang stressed. Edited by Tony Sabine

'Huanggang crossings almost double those of before'

Oct 17, 2026

The number of travellers passing through the new Huanggang port is, on average, almost double that of the old one, Secretary for Security Chris Tang said on Saturday. He pointed out that overall operations at the crossing had been smooth since its opening almost a week ago, as it heads into its first travel peak this long weekend for the Chung Yeung Festival. Taking to the airwaves, Tang said around 80,000 travellers used the crossing daily from when it opened on Monday to Thursday. “On Friday, there were more than 90,000 people – 92,000," he said. "How many more was this compared to before? There used to be about 30,000 to 40,000 travellers. “This means it is roughly 1.5 times more. On certain days, it is even double.” Despite the surge in travellers, Tang said, the average border crossing under the co-location arrangement, which features a “collaborative inspection and joint clearance” model, was taking less than five minutes in general. He revealed that more than 300,000 people had registered for the “collaborative inspection” automated channels on the Immigration Department’s mobile app since its launch on October 6. The number of people making the crossings at the Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line checkpoints have, he pointed out, also fallen slightly by three to seven percent as some travellers opted for Huanggang port instead. With the start of Chung Yeung Festival long weekend on Saturday, Tang believed daily crossings would surpass 100,000 during the three-day period at Huanggang. “We have made all preparations for the possible increase in passenger flows. These include sufficient manpower to ensure that all channels – automated and manual – can be fully opened at any time.” Authorities have also stepped up manpower deployments at Huanggang port's public transport interchange to ensure there will be no congestion, Tang stressed. Edited by Tony Sabine

Oct 17, 2026

The butterfly effect: one man’s mission to help nature and communities coexist

Hong Kong’s next phase of development should make room for both butterflies and buildings, conservationist Dr Yau Wing-kwong has said, arguing that biodiversity can be incorporated into parks, schools and neighbourhoods without holding back the city’s growth. Yau, founder of Environmental Association Limited, has spent nearly three decades promoting community-based conservation. He is a finalist for the Spirit of Community Award in this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards, co-organised by Sino...

Oct 17, 2026

Chinese kindergarten owner given life sentence over lead paint poisoning scandal

The owner of a Chinese kindergarten has been jailed for life after more than 200 children were poisoned by lead in the country’s worst food safety scandal for almost two decades. A total of six people were jailed by the Lanzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Gansu province on Friday for making or selling harmful foodstuffs. Li Huifang, owner of the Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui, was handed a life sentence and fined 500,000 yuan (US$75,000), while Zhu Jinglin, the principal, was jailed for 15...