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
Residents of Bishkek say the growing practical cooperation among member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is bringing tangible improvements to everyday life, from cheaper goods and new transport links to easier study opportunities, as the city prepares to host the 2026 SCO summit.
In separate interviews with China Global Television Network ahead of the summit, local residents highlighted a range of concrete changes.
One pointed to the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway now under construction.
"The benefits of the SCO became noticeable in recent years. A railway is being built. When the construction of this railway is completed, conditions will be created for us to fully leverage SCO opportunities," he said.
Two other residents credited improved logistics and regional connectivity for making goods more affordable.
"Thanks to the existence of the SCO, our lives have changed quite a lot, because many goods have become cheaper, and new opportunities have opened to order from marketplaces," they said.
With stronger mutual trust among member states, cross-border travel, education cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges have also expanded.
"If you have seen on the road, there are signs in Chinese, in Russian, and some signs in Kyrgyz which help you navigate around. Plus, studying has become easier, there are more grants, and admissions are easier. And the Chinese themselves welcome us very well in their country," one interviewee observed.
Others noted the growing presence of Chinese electric vehicles and other tech products as a sign of greener development and closer trade ties.
"As for technology, electric vehicles are everywhere now, all cars are becoming electric. Scooters are also electric. Everything is coming from China," a resident said.
Asked about the SCO's and China's roles in promoting multilateralism and global governance amid the complex and volatile international landscape, residents described them as important forces for stability and win-win cooperation.
"I think that in such a tough period it is very important that China helps maintain border connectivity, because of which we have the opportunity to cooperate between countries and transport goods. And I think that this is very important at the present moment," said one of the two girls.
"The railway, the Chinese railway, is reaching us, passing through. In trade, economy and tourism, everything is becoming connected with China now," said the other.
Kyrgyz residents say they value SCO outcomes as Bishkek summit draws near
