Shenzhen imposes once-a-week limit on cross-border visits to Hong Kong by permanent residents
Restrictions imposed on the city's permanent residents after State Council 'adjustment' in policy will cut number of visitors by a third
Shenzhen's permanent residents are to be limited to just one visit a week to Hong Kong using their multiple-entry permits, a move that will slash the number of these visitors by about 30 per cent, according to sources familiar with the arrangement.
A Hong Kong government source said the restriction would cut the number of visitors to the city by 4.6 million a year.
Shenzhen municipal government issued the ruling yesterday after a decision by the State Council to approve an "adjustment" in the number of trips that multiple-entry permit holders can make to Hong Kong, a notice circulating on the internet said.
The notice set out details of the arrangement - restricting the number of trips by multiple-entry permit holders to one a week - although it did not say when the change would be implemented. The trips cannot be saved up; they must be used or they will be lost.
Shenzhen police and Hong Kong government sources confirmed the new arrangement to the Sunday Morning Post.
The Hong Kong government said last night that it had submitted a proposal to the central government to adjust the multiple-entry policy. "Any adjustment to the policy is pending the central government's announcement," it said in a statement.
Only Shenzhen permanent residents can hold multiple-entry permits, which allow them to make as many trips as they want to Hong Kong.