Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area Bill gazetted today
The Government gazetted the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area Bill today (July 14) to give effect to the relevant authorisation of the Central Authorities and to provide the legal basis for implementing the colocation arrangement at the redeveloped Huanggang Port. The Bill will be introduced into the Legislative Council (LegCo) for first and second readings tomorrow (July 15).
The new Huanggang Port, Photo source: reference image
Following the passage of the "Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on Authorizing the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to Exercise Jurisdiction over the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area and Related Extended Areas" at the 23rd Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress on June 26, the State Council issued an Official Reply on July 8 regarding matters concerning the commissioning of the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area and Related Extended Areas (Hong Kong Port Area). The Official Reply stipulated the specific co-ordinates and area of the Hong Kong Port Area, and agreed that the Hong Kong Port Area is to be commissioned beginning at 00.00 hours of July 31, 2026, and is to be subject to the jurisdiction of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in accordance with the laws of the HKSAR. The official opening date is to be agreed upon by the Guangdong and Hong Kong Governments. To ensure that the authorisation of the Central Authorities is duly implemented, the HKSAR Government is obliged to complete the relevant local legislative work before July 31.
The main provisions of the Bill include:
(a) declaring certain areas at the Huanggang Port in the Chinese Mainland as the Hong Kong Port Area;
(b) providing for the application of the laws of Hong Kong in the Hong Kong Port Area and providing for the Hong Kong court's jurisdiction in this connection;
(c) extending the territorial limits of certain pre-existing rights and obligations to include the Hong Kong Port Area; and
(d) making provisions to assist in the construction of certain future documents and court orders.
To tie in with the actual operational needs of the Hong Kong Port Area, the Government is also required to make various pieces of subsidiary legislation for matters concerning the administration of the Hong Kong Port Area as a closed area, the designation of detention facilities, supporting arrangements for traffic and transport management, and provision of public mobile radiocommunications services, etc. To assist the LegCo in conducting a more comprehensive scrutiny, the Government has attached the draft versions of the relevant subsidiary legislation for the LegCo's preview when issuing the LegCo Brief on the Bill. It should be emphasised that the draft subsidiary legislation is provided at this stage solely for Members' reference. After the Bill is passed by the LegCo and the enacted legislation is published in the Gazette as an Ordinance, the Government will make and table the subsidiary legislation at the LegCo in accordance with established procedures.
A spokesman for the HKSAR Government said, "The Huanggang Port redevelopment project is one of the key initiatives that the HKSAR Government is participating in the implementation of national development strategies. Situated at the Futian District of Shenzhen, the redeveloped Huanggang Port will be positioned as the most important 24-hour passenger land boundary control point. The Bill provides the legal basis for the HKSAR to establish the Hong Kong Port Area at the Huanggang Port and to exercise jurisdiction over the areas in accordance with the law."
The new Huanggang Port, Photo source: reference image
The redeveloped Huanggang Port will implement the colocation arrangement and the novel "collaborative inspection and joint clearance" mode to further enhance the passenger clearance experience and efficiency. Clearance time at the redeveloped Huanggang Port will be significantly reduced from around 30 minutes at the existing Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port to approximately five minutes. The design flow of the redeveloped Huanggang Port will increase to 200 000 passenger trips per day, and could be further increased to about 300 000 upon the future commissioning of the Northern Link Spur Line of the MTR Corporation Limited.
At present, the superstructure of the Huanggang Port Building is basically completed, and interior fitting-out works and the installation of required facilities are being carried out concurrently by contractors from both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen sides. The early passage of the Bill to establish the Hong Kong Port Area would facilitate the comprehensive preparatory work, including a series of tests, trials and drills to be conducted jointly by the HKSAR Government and the Shenzhen authorities, to ensure that all facilities and operational arrangements are sound and comprehensive, and that the Port is in full readiness for operation.
The Government will fully co-operate with the LegCo in its work of scrutinising the Bill to strive for the early completion of the local legislative work, and will continue to work closely with the People's Government of Guangdong Province and the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government to take forward all preparatory work at full steam prior to the opening of the Port to the public. After the Guangdong and Hong Kong authorities have completed the preparatory work and finalised the official opening date of the Huanggang Port, an announcement will be made to the public in due course, with a view to creating a more efficient and convenient clearance experience for members of the public.
For details of the Bill, please refer to the LegCo Brief issued today.
The new Huanggang Port, Photo source: reference image
Ombudsman briefs Legislative Council Members on work results of 2025-26
The following is issued on behalf of the Office of The Ombudsman:
The Ombudsman, Mr Jack Chan, today (July 14) attended an annual meeting with Legislative Council (LegCo) Members to brief them on the progress and results of the Office of The Ombudsman's work in 2025-26, with an overview of its work strategies and objectives. At the meeting, Mr Chan also exchanged views with LegCo Members on issues of mutual concern and thanked them for their support of the Office's work.
In response to President Xi Jinping's hopes for and expectations of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Mr Chan pledged at the meeting that he will lead the Office in supporting the HKSAR Government's policies in proactive alignment with the National 15th Five-Year Plan, and facilitate the HKSAR Government's further improvement of administrative efficiency and people's livelihood. Since taking office, Mr Chan has led the Office to innovate in multiple areas. He said, "The Office has evolved from a passive role with a focus on handling complaints into a proactive statutory body with foresight and capability to initiate systemic reforms. The Office now dedicates its efforts to not only proactive supervision but also preventing maladministration at source, thereby comprehensively enhancing the effectiveness of public governance."
In 2025-26, the Office achieved remarkable results again in all three of its strategic focus areas. Regarding mediation, 1 145 complaints were resolved by this mode in this reporting year, more than doubling the number from 2024-25. Mr Chan added that, "Over the past year, the Office resolved by mediation numerous complaints related to the eMPF Platform to promptly defuse social tensions and grievances. The recommendations we made for substantive improvement of the eMPF Platform can enhance public services and maintain social stability and public confidence." Highly praised by the community, the Office's mediation work has achieved remarkable results.
On the front of interdepartmental collaboration, the Office has further advocated the concept of "One Government". Mr Chan stressed that interdepartmental collaboration is crucial to achieving efficient, people-oriented good governance. He also shared cases to illustrate how it brought about tangible benefits for members of the public. During the year, the Office completed five direct investigation operations and processed 396 complaint cases involving interdepartmental collaboration. Mr Chan said that he appreciated the support of departments and organisations, and their co-operation in implementing the recommendations made by the Office. He said that interdepartmental collaboration not only effectively resolves the difficulties faced by the public, but also enhances the overall efficiency of public administration.
In 2025-26, the Office scaled up youth initiatives on campus and in the community, reaching out to over 66 000 young people through a variety of activities, such as seminars and career fairs, to cultivate a positive complaint culture and encourage youth participation in public affairs. The Office's first-ever Summer Internship Programme was launched earlier this year. In the latest recruitment exercise for Assistant Investigation Officers, a record high of over 1 400 applications were received, demonstrating the positive image and attraction the Office has established among the younger generation. Meanwhile, through the annual Ombudsman's Awards and the dual-track commendation scheme, the Office continued to practise a positive complaint culture by recognising departments, organisations and members of the public for their contributions towards improving public administration.
Mr Chan also highlighted that the Office fulfils its supervisory role by conducting direct investigation operations and making impactful recommendations to improve people's livelihood, particularly for grassroots sectors and the underprivileged. During the year, the Office completed 10 direct investigation operations, in such areas as respite services for supporting carers of elderly persons and persons with disabilities; the effectiveness of administrative support provided for complaint handling by the Secretariat of the Medical Council of Hong Kong under the Department of Health (DH), and the DH's regulatory role; and the Government's work in combating cruelty to animals. In addition, the Office concluded 46 cases by full investigation, of which nearly 47 per cent were substantiated or partially substantiated. All the 573 recommendations it made during the year were accepted by the departments and organisations concerned. Mr Chan said, "The average time for implementing the recommendations made in full investigations was around three months, while recommendations of a larger scale made in direct investigation operations required 11 months. The overall situation was speedy and effective." Furthermore, the Office made a total of 912 observations, covering measures for better public enquiries, complaint handling, transparency of information, staff training, etc. These observations are of practical value in preventing maladministration and raising the sensitivity of departments.
Last year, the Office established the Hong Kong International Ombudsman Academy (HKIOA) through flexible allocation of internal resources, without seeking additional government funding or manpower. The HKIOA held seminars and sharing sessions throughout the past year for departments, organisations, District Council members and assistants, as well as Mainland agencies and academic entities to advocate a positive complaint culture and the concept of maladministration prevention. The HKIOA serves as a liaison platform connecting local, Mainland and international partners, driving forward the sustainable development, reform and innovation of the ombudsman system.
The Office has attached importance to staff training and internal promotion. In the third quarter of this year, a group of staff will visit the Mainland to attend a specialised training programme on the 15th Five-Year Plan. The programme will enable them to gain deeper insights into the country's major policies and development strategies. Mr Chan also said that while driving forward comprehensive reforms to boost productivity and output, the Office has ensured financial stability and even generated a higher surplus against the odds through active cost cutting and optimising resource allocation. By adopting prudent and economical financial management, it recorded an increase of $16 million in accumulated reserves in 2025-26. He said, "This approach of creating greater benefits with limited resources is also consistent with my overall strategy and direction of promoting efficient public administration, streamlining workflow and improving services."
The Office will continue to strengthen liaisons with its Mainland and international counterparts, participate in international affairs and promote the exchange of experience. Mr Chan remarked that the Office will host the 30th anniversary celebration of the Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA), including the International Ombudsman Summit and the AOA's Board of Directors Meeting, on December 1 this year. Leveraging Hong Kong's unique position of having the strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world, the event will enhance the Office's international influence in ombudsman matters.
Looking ahead, the Office will remain steadfast in its independence, objectivity and impartiality, act without fear or favour to ensure that Hong Kong is served by a fair and efficient public administration, and contribute to the HKSAR Government's proactive alignment with the 15th Five-Year Plan.
The Ombudsman, Mr Jack Chan (front), today (July 14) attended an annual meeting with the Legislative Council and briefed Members on the progress and results of the Office of The Ombudsman's work in 2025-26. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
The Ombudsman, Mr Jack Chan, today (July 14) attended an annual meeting with the Legislative Council and briefed Members on the progress and results of the Office of The Ombudsman's work in 2025-26. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
The Ombudsman, Mr Jack Chan, today (July 14) attended an annual meeting with the Legislative Council and briefed Members on the progress and results of the Office of The Ombudsman's work in 2025-26. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
