Letters | John Lee is right to call for removing cap on Shenzhen visitors

Readers discuss the hits and misses in the chief executive’s policy address, on topics ranging from cross-border travel and inclusive initiatives to sports and health development

Reading Time:5 minutes

Tour groups from the mainland head for Hong Kong from the Shenzhen Bay Port on October 1. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 11:30am, 23 Oct 2024

The chief executive’s policy address gave us long-awaited good news that multiple-entry visas for Shenzhen residents might be resumed soon. Currently, Hongkongers can visit the mainland freely while our compatriots in Shenzhen have to apply for permission to come to Hong Kong, with the number of visits capped at once a week.

Understandably, the limit was put in place for the good of Hong Kong, to prevent mainland visitors flooding the city. But the situation has changed. Today Hongkongers are going up north – especially to Shenzhen – to shop and dine in numbers that exceed the number of mainlanders coming down south. This imbalance is benefiting Shenzhen’s economy at the expense of Hong Kong’s. Shops and restaurants are closing down here.

As neighbouring cities, Shenzhen and Hong Kong have a close relationship. The Hong Kong government can’t stop people going north, so it is reasonable to remove the current “one trip per week” constraint for Shenzhen residents. With multiple-entry visas, mainlanders can come and shop in Hong Kong more frequently, which should help even out the consumption spending in the two cities.

Both Hong Kong and Shenzhen will benefit if their residents can travel freely between the two cities.

Angus S.K. Chan, Ma On Shan

Opportunities are just as important as welfare

How inclusive are Hong Kong’s policy priorities? As part of my current research on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), I did a keyword analysis of the chief executive’s policy address last week. The most mentioned related keyword was “elderly” (48 times), followed by “mental health” (17), “disabilities” (six), “women” (five) and “ethnic minority” (three). These are likely to indicate government priorities in the coming year.