Smooth opening for Huanggang port: govt

Officials said the redeveloped Huanggang port’s opening went smoothly on Monday morning, with Chief Secretary Eric Chan expecting a relatively quiet first day so staff can prepare to handle more travellers in future. Speaking to reporters, Chan said he doesn't expect the port to be too busy on the day of its opening, which will give staff time to familiarise themselves with operations at the facility. "There’s a reason we chose today to open. The National Day holiday has just ended. Today, we believe there will be fewer visitors, so everyone has time to get familiar with the operations. We hope that by the time the next peak arrives, our colleagues will be fully used to it. That’s the best approach," he said. Chan added that if the new "collaborative inspection and joint clearance" model works well, the government will consider extending it to other border checkpoints. Secretary for Security Chris Tang said more than 5,000 people used the redeveloped Huanggang port in the first two hours after it opened at 6.30am – a 60 percent increase compared with before its renovation. Nearly 1,000 vehicles also passed through, up 30 percent. He said all the self-service "collaborative inspection" channels are working normally, and...