Wang Sai Man wants foreign residents of Macau to have equal conditions when entering Hengqin

Lawmaker Wang Sai Man wants the government to facilitate border crossing between Macau and Hengqin for foreigners who are residents of Macau, he said in a spoken inquiry delivered at the Legislative Assembly.

The lawmaker noted that while the majority of locals (of Chinese nationality) enjoy a facilitated system and the convenience of the “Hengqin-Macau comprehensive border inspection,” the same treatment does not apply to those residents of Macau of a foreign nationality, making their access to Hengqin very complex and time-consuming.

Wang noted that the Central government and the Macau SAR have recently released the general guidelines for Hengqin-Macau integration that encourage people to work and live in Hengqin, taking advantage of the accessibility between the two sides in favor of the adequate diversification of Macau’s economy.

He says that it is not logical or practical that people who are residents of Macau do not enjoy the same privileges because they are not of Chinese nationality, noting that some of these people are of “Chinese origin” and highly qualified professionals, “who are precisely the human resources needed for the implementation of the ‘1+4’ Hengqin-Macau economic diversification.”

Wang proposes that if these people have already been authorized to work in Macau and wish to work and live in Hengqin, “the local government and the relevant services in the mainland must issue them a certain type of ‘safe-conduct’ for entry and exit from Hengqin,” so these people can access Hengqin through the automated border crossing clearance points.

Wang also noted the recent measures enforced by the mainland that allows the visa-free entry of foreigners from six countries (France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia) when visiting China for tourism or business with stays of less than 15 days. He added that Macau should also take advantage of these measures to attract more diverse tourists and facilitate the movement of foreigners between Hengqin and Macau for tourism, business, study and visits.