Hong Kong and mainland officials are studying ways to speed up the clearance of cargo at Customs points in a bid to improve the competitiveness of Hong Kong's logistics industry. Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip Shu-kwan said the bureau was in talks with the State Development Planning Commission for ways to improve cargo flows. Mr Ip told a Commercial Radio programme yesterday: 'For example, the cargo would undergo Customs clearance on the mainland first. When it is transported through the border, there is no need to be checked by Customs officials again. There will be Customs clearance at container terminals in Hong Kong when the cargo is shipped overseas.' The study is due to be completed by the middle of this year. Meanwhile, Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology Henry Tang Ying-yen said on RTHK that the government would take into account the views of the labour sector when seeking integration with the Pearl River Delta. 'Someone has suggested the 'one plus 10' measure [importing 10 mainland labourers for every local worker a firm employed]. I rejected it categorically,' he said. 'More than 200,000 people are unemployed now. Any plan, without the support of the labour sector, will lead to a split in the community.'
