The reconstruction of Huanggang Port — the country’s first and only 24-hour passenger checkpoint between Shenzhen and Hong Kong — will be completed this year, with the new infrastructure officially coming into use in 2026, Shenzhen authorities revealed on Thursday.

The new port will adopt a “co-location” arrangement, featuring collaborative inspection and joint customs clearance between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

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Instead of going through two rounds of inspections — one in Shenzhen, the other in Hong Kong — as was necessary in the past, travelers will only need to go through the process once. This is expected to cut the clearance time for travelers from 30 minutes to five minutes.

“The new model will bring three dividends. First, personnel customs clearance will become more convenient. Second, space for science and technology will be enlarged. Third, the living environment of talents will be improved,” Huang Wei, secretary of the Communist Party of China Futian District Committee of Shenzhen, said on Thursday.

Huanggang Port is located in the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, a major platform for promoting high-tech collaboration between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. So far, the area has 800,000 square meters of space built up for research and development and provides employment for 15,000 scientific researchers.

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The new port, which has reduced its footprint by over 50 percent compared with the old one, will further unleash 400,000 sq m of land for high-tech development. The area will also be used as a site for an international integrated innovation zone with a construction area of 1.8 million sqm.

The infrastructure to accommodate an international talent community, with international schools and hospitals, is planned for construction on the northeastern side of Huanggang Port, with the aim of providing a favorable living environment for international talent.

Contact the writer at sally@chinadailyhk.com