New scheme launched to allow Guangdong vehicles drive into Hong Kong

The "Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles" scheme was officially launched on Friday, allowing vehicles from Guangdong Province on the Chinese mainland heading south to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The policy marks a major step toward Hong Kong's deeper integration into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. It complements the existing "Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles" scheme, which has allowed Hong Kong residents to drive into Guangdong without holding a mainland license plate since July 1, 2023.

The new "southbound" initiative consists of two phases: first, access to parking facilities at Hong Kong's border checkpoints, and second, entry into Hong Kong's urban areas.

In the initial rollout, private vehicle owners from four cities in Guangdong, namely, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Jiangmen, and Zhongshan, will be eligible to participate. The program will expand to all other cities in the province six months later.

Starting Saturday, the Airport Authority Hong Kong will start accepting online reservations from eligible Guangdong private car owners for parking spaces at the airport's automated parking facility. From Nov. 15, approved drivers may enter Hong Kong via the Zhuhai Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and park their cars in the designated lot.

Starting Dec. 23, 2025, the first batch of approved Guangdong drivers will be permitted to drive beyond the border zone and into Hong Kong's urban areas, provided they have secured a valid reservation.

The scheme will significantly facilitate the movement of people and vehicles between Hong Kong and the mainland.

New scheme launched to allow Guangdong vehicles drive into Hong Kong

Iraq's oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz dropped sharply to 10 million barrels in April due to the regional war from the previous monthly level of around 93 million barrels, newly-inaugurated Oil Minister Basim Mohammed Khudhair said Saturday.

According to a statement by the oil ministry, Khudhair said during a ceremony marking his assumption of office that the government's strategy focuses on collaborating with foreign firms to enhance domestic production capacity, train technical and engineering personnel, and build the best infrastructure for the oil sector.

He said efforts will be made to develop the oil industry to achieve sustainable development and support the country's economy, especially since the oil sector is the backbone of the federal budget.

In addition, Iraq will increase flows through the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline to Türkiye, said Khudhair.

Iraq plans to talk with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to boost the country's production and export capacity, hoping its production capacity will reach 5 million barrels per day, said the minister.

Iraq's economy relies heavily on crude oil exports, which account for about 90 percent of the country's revenues.

Khudhair's remarks came two days after the parliament approved him as part of new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's cabinet.

Iraq's oil exports via Hormuz Strait plummet to 10 mln barrels in April amid war: minister