Shenzhen Bay Port logs record single-day passenger traffic amid summer cross-border travel boom

The Shenzhen Bay Port in south China's Guangdong Province recorded more than 200,000 arrivals and departures in a single day on Saturday, its highest ever, as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) is witnessing an unprecedented wave of cross-border travel this summer.

Family trips, weekend getaways and culture-themed tours have surged in July and August, keeping every port in Shenzhen at peak capacity.

Immigration figures on the Shenzhen Bay Port's operation show that, as of Saturday, the number of mainland travelers entering and departing through the port has increased 34 percent year-on-year. The number of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan residents has increased 25 percent, and the number of foreign passport holders has increased 33 percent.

"We stayed here for two nights. We went to Foshan and Zhongshan, tried lots of famous local food, like the black tofu," said one traveler from Hong Kong.

"Crossing here is quick and easy. We do it all the time," said another.

"I'm with a group of 30 people. Tonight we rest, tomorrow we go to Dongmen. We are on a five-day trip to Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao," said an Indonesian visitor.

Better transport links, seamless QR-code cross-border payments and faster custom inspection e-gates have combined with a calendar of festive events in the Greater Bay Area to heat up the entire travel chain. Scenic zones, restaurants and hotels are reaping the rewards.

"Customer flow in the summer is 10 to 15 percent above normal. Seventy percent are Hong Kong and Macao guests, and on weekends we serve over 1,000 of them. Customers have to wait 40 to 60 minutes on average for a table. We close at 10 p.m., but people are still lining up at 9:30," said Luo Zhisheng, a restaurant manager in Shenzhen.

The Shenzhen Bay Port handled 30 million crossings this year as of Saturday, nearly two months ahead of last year's pace.

"Most travelers are families, students on study tours or spectators of sports and cultural events. We've taken measures including additional lanes, passenger flow optimization and route diversion to keep everything moving smoothly during peak hours," said Shi Li, a customs inspection officer at the Shenzhen Bay Port.

Shenzhen Bay Port logs record single-day passenger traffic amid summer cross-border travel boom

A Japanese lawmaker has raised concerns over Japan's push to expand its military and its nuclear policy.

Responding to some politicians' dangerous tendency towards possessing nuclear weapons, Takara Sachika, a member of Japan's House of Councilors, said that Japan's push to strengthen its military, combined with what she called a misguided nuclear policy, not only heightens regional tensions but also directly threatens regional security.

"I think this is completely unacceptable. Japan is a country that has suffered atomic bombings and is one of the nations most aware of the threat posed by nuclear weapons. Yet such a country is openly discussing the issue of possessing nuclear weapons and even attempting to revise the principle of not allowing the introduction of nuclear weapons, one of the Three Non-Nuclear Principles. This is an extremely serious problem," Takara said.

Takara said the Japanese government's tendency to expand its military capabilities is completely contrary to the Constitution.

"From the perspective of Japan's Constitution, Japan should never have adopted a policy of ensuring security by strengthening military capabilities. Yet today, enormous effort is being poured into military expansion, and that in itself is a serious problem," said the lawmaker.

At a Diet meeting in early November 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that what she described as the Chinese central authorities' "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, and suggested the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait, drawing strong criticism worldwide.

Takara urged Takaichi to retract her erroneous remarks as soon as possible.

"I think there is a very big problem with making such remarks that provoke other countries. It is necessary to thoroughly examine the facts as soon as possible and withdraw the relevant remarks," she said.

Japanese lawmaker criticizes nuclear weapons remarks as threat to regional security