Mainland authorities could be about to curb the number of cross-border visits for multiple-entry permit holders travelling to Hong Kong… if you believe a secret source in a pro-Beijing newspaper, that is.
According to Ta Kung Pao, an unnamed Guangdong government official said mainland authorities have put forward proposals that seek to limit the number of daily visits Shenzhen residents can make to the Fragrant Harbour.
The move is a bid to quell the parallel trading of goods, which has resulted in numerous angry protests against mainland shoppers in Hong Kong in recent weeks.
The multiple entry permit scheme, introduced in 2003, allows residents of 49 mainland cities to travel to Hong Kong independently, while two million of Shenzhen’s residents can take unlimited trips on their multiple entry permits.
The Ta Kung Pao source did not specify by how much the visits would be reduced under the new proposals, and said that once the issues are resolved the limit could be adjusted again.
Fat lot of good that will be then.
Source: SCMP
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