Opinion | Slight respite from parallel traders in Hong Kong may not last
As customs cracks down on people who illegally ferry goods through checkpoints, veterans of the practice are waiting for the scrutiny to die down
For years, border checkpoints between Sheung Shui and Shenzhen have been a jammed, chaotic mess as thousands of parallel traders commute, with carts bulging with boxes and heavy bags, in a cat-and-mouse game with customs officers.
Complaints from Hong Kong residents have done little to ease the crush - until this month's crackdown by Hong Kong and Shenzhen authorities.
Those who live on the border and cross it were enjoying the calmer checkpoints and quicker trips last week.
"I never felt so relaxed and refreshed at the checkpoint as I did this evening," Angel Zhou, a sales manager with the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals, said on Monday.
"Usually, those people who appeared to be parallel-goods carriers had filled the hall during the evening," Zhou said. "Now, at least half of them seem to have disappeared and I only spent 20 minutes going through the checkpoints."
The crackdown, however, has done little to suppress the massive demand for Hong Kong goods that caused the boom in the first place. Many illegal traders continue to sneak items through, albeit at a higher risk. And many more are lurking just over the border, waiting for the scrutiny to die down.