On 17 October, 12 senior officials from Shenzhen Customs and 17 representatives from Hong Kong met in Shenzhen to discuss ways of speeding up customs clearance. According to Wu Rongchang, deputy director of Shenzhen Customs, Yantian port handled 3.75 million TEUs during the first nine months of this year, which exceeded its designed capacity by more than 50%. Meanwhile, customs clearance ability at the Shatoujiao and Wenjingdu checkpoints is limited because of the small number of channels available. Huanggang is the only checkpoint with room for further expansion. The dozen or so clearance channels at Huanggang are now all open and coping well with export goods (outbound trucks) and goods in transit while import goods (inbound trucks) take longer to complete procedures such as commodity inspection. On the other hand, the Hong Kong side, with only eight channels, often becomes the bottleneck where container trucks are jammed.

In a bid to speed up customs clearance during the peak period, six measures have been introduced at the Huanggang checkpoint with immediate effect:

1. Additional personnel are deployed to speed up clearance procedures; all channels are opened to ensure speedy clearance; more "night" channels are operated during peak periods to increase handling capacity.
   
   
2. A sound crisis management mechanism is implemented to ensure the timely and proper handling of emergency cases; a communication channel for crisis management coordination with Hong Kong Customs is established; a 24-hour duty roster is strictly enforced so that senior officers are always available for problem solving on the spot.
   
   
3. The introduction of automatic channels for vehicle checking and clearance is expedited; round-the-clock operation of the automatic system for checking empty trucks is implemented; the use of technology to improve customs clearance efficiency is maximised.
   
   
4. The deadline for re-application for approval by vehicles with engine code number different from that on record is extended to the end of this year in order to ensure the normal passage of such vehicles during the peak period.
   
   
5. Coordination with other inspection units and the traffic police is strengthened; a well-coordinated system is established to pave way for a highly efficient, orderly environment for expedited customs clearance; cooperation with Hong Kong Customs is enhanced by setting up a hotline on clearance matters and for information and resources sharing.
   
   
6. Risk analysis and on-the-spot research are strengthened; the effectiveness and accuracy of inspection is increased; inspection management is improved; the transportation companies serving the checkpoints are pushed for greater efficiency; inspection efficiency is increased thereby reducing the waiting time of vehicles.

The above measures are expected to boost customs clearance efficiency at the Huanggang checkpoint for the time being. However, Shenzhen authorities need to take more drastic reform measures over the next two to three years in order to resolve the more fundamental problems with customs clearance at Huanggang. At the 17 October meeting, both sides called for further meetings involving the Shenzhen municipal government and various departments such as port management, customs, commodity inspection and border control, and Hong Kong representatives from the SAR government, Customs and Excise Department and freight forwarders associations.