Drills to start as Hong Kong targets September launch of revamped border crossing

Secretary for Security Chris Tang and other officials set to inspect the Huanggang Port checkpoint on Friday

Hong Kong is gearing up for a September launch of its revamped Huanggang Port border crossing, with drills set to begin next month under the new “joint inspection” model, the South China Morning Post has learned.

Sources said Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung and other officials were set to inspect the checkpoint on Friday, when Hong Kong will begin exercising jurisdiction over its designated area of the crossing.

“Unlike other previous checkpoint openings where the responsible departments only needed to do internal tests, the revamped checkpoint will require drills to test its operations,” a source said.

Hong Kong’s legislature earlier this month passed a bill that provided the legal basis for a “co-location” arrangement with Shenzhen authorities in the same building.

The bill cleared all stages in three days after being gazetted, marking the fastest round of scrutiny since the Legislative Council’s overhaul in 2021 under the “patriots administering Hong Kong” principle.

This source said officers from relevant departments would begin moving into the building from Friday to continue preparatory work inside.

“The government has already mobilised its departments to organise a stress test and large-scale incident and counterterrorism drill, with the test to take place as early as August 21,” the source added.