Wong Sio Chak proposes relocating Lotus Flower checkpoint

The Macau government has floated a proposal to move the Lotus Flower Bridge border checkpoint from Cotai to Hengqin Island in Zhuhai. According to media reports, this proposal is now under review by the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office.

The proposal was initially revealed through the comments of Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak, who spoke to reporters on Friday on the sidelines of a graduation ceremony for the Institute for Tourism Studies.

Wong revealed that the preliminary proposal includes various issues such as land use, modes of clearance, and the implementation of laws and regulations of the two jurisdictions – Macau and the mainland.

Wong said that the proposal has already been shared with the Central Government. He said that it might include a “new mode of clearance,” according to local media reports, but did not elaborate on how the new system might operate.

Wong confirmed that the preliminary proposal now rests with mainland authorities to consider the feasibility of the plan.

According to mainland news reports, the Macau government hopes that the future checkpoint complex in Hengqin will make it possible for the Macau side of the checkpoint to move there. The Macau government report calls for a “new mode of clearance” to be adopted at the future Hengqin checkpoint so that it will be more convenient for people to travel between Macau and Hengqin.

The Macau Secretary cautioned that the proposal would need to be approved by the Central Government. As such, no further details of the proposal can be announced prior to obtaining the green light from mainland authorities.

Macau’s border checkpoint in Cotai is linked to Zhuhai’s border checkpoint in Hengqin via the Lotus Flower Bridge. It originally came into service in 2000, before it was demolished and replaced with a newer building in late 2014.