Smart port drives regional trade growth

Before the bridge's traffic service opened, Heime Aquaculture Import and Export, based in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, exported its aquatic products to Hong Kong through Shenzhen's Wenjindu port, also in Guangdong.

"It took several hours for long-distance transportation from Zhuhai to Hong Kong, largely affecting the quality of fresh aquatic products and causing some losses to our business," said Weng Xipeng, general manager of the company.

In October 2018, traffic service on the bridge opened, and the situation changed significantly — the company became the first of its kind to export aquatic products from the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong through the bridge port.

"It takes only about one hour to transport our fresh aquatic products to Hong Kong over the bridge, helping improve our business efficiency and profits," said Weng.

According to Weng, the company's export of aquatic products currently accounts for about 25 percent of the Hong Kong market.

In December 2019, companies received permission to export fresh and live aquatic products to Hong Kong and Macao via the bridge port, followed by frozen and chilled poultry in June 2022.

Previously, fresh and live food such as eggs, dairy products and vegetables, which are popular dining table staples for Hong Kong residents, could only be supplied from the mainland to the special administrative region through the ports of Shenzhen.

A new program, which took effect on July 1, enabled a full range of fresh food to be supplied to Hong Kong and Macao through the Zhuhai port at designated times.

In July alone, the value of agricultural product exports shipping through the port reached 580 million yuan, an increase of 14.2 percent year-on-year, according to data from the bridge customs.

"The bridge has advantages in logistics, which has helped to ensure freshness and lower the cost of our vegetables exported to Hong Kong," said Huang Jinbo, general manager of Zhuhai Yiyuan Import and Export.

The Guangdong-based company mainly processes and ships vegetables to Hong Kong and Macao. Before implementation of the program, the company primarily targeted the Macao market.

According to Huang, since July, its export volume of vegetables to Hong Kong has steadily increased.

"The price of vegetables, along with time and shipping costs, would be less competitive in the Hong Kong market if they were only transported from Zhuhai through the port of Shenzhen," he said.

Liu Huan, a sales manager at Zhuhai Hongfulong Egg Products, said by opening the supply of egg products through the bridge port to Hong Kong, it takes only about two hours for the company to complete the entire transportation process.

"It greatly shortens the transportation time and reduces the one-way transportation cost by approximately 2,000 yuan per vehicle, significantly enhancing the competitiveness of our egg products in the Hong Kong market," said Liu.

Opening traffic on the bridge has boosted the flow of goods and people between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and facilitated trade for companies from the Chinese mainland to other countries and regions.

Guangdong Biolight Meditech is one of the Chinese companies to have boosted its trade efficiency by exporting its products through the bridge port to the overseas market.