Hong Kong business bodies start to plan mainland China trips as border authorities brace for Sunday reopening
- Chamber of commerce chief predicts ‘sharp rebound’ in economy in 2023 after border reopening announced
- Business leaders warn of potential problems; highlight complex visa application process for foreigners and time taken for cross-border driving licence renewals
Hong Kong’s business groups have started to plan for mainland China journeys and compete for one of the 50,000 spots available under a new daily quota from Sunday, when the city will reopen its border with mainland China.
But they appealed to authorities to sort out teething troubles, including clarification of the visa application process for foreign visitors and faster procedures for the renewal of cross-border driving licences.
Johannes Hack, president of the German Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong, said it made sense to start with a quota system to “get a feel for how travel flows will develop”.
Hack added visas were the main focus for himself and other German businesspeople keen to travel to the mainland.
He explained visa rules for foreigners were unclear and the application process had become more complicated, with additional documents required.
“For our businesses to fully reap the benefit of the opening, we are lobbying the government to ask their mainland counterparts to make visas more and more easily accessible,” Hack said.
