Key Hong Kong delegate to suggest expanding visa scheme during ‘two sessions’

Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the nation’s top legislative body has revealed a plan to propose extending the multiple-entry visa scheme recently resumed for Shenzhen residents to other nearby mainland Chinese cities during the “two sessions” in Beijing next month.

Starry Lee Wai-king, who sits on the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said on Sunday that she would suggest expanding the scheme in stages to other cities in the Greater Bay Area during the annual legislative session in Beijing.

“I suggest considering Guangzhou as a prioritised starting point, as it has a very close relationship with Hong Kong,” she said.

The bay area refers to Beijing’s plan to integrate Hong Kong, Macau and nine southern mainland cities into an economic powerhouse.

The NPC and the nation’s top political advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, are expected to hold their annual meetings or lianghui in the capital next month.

Lee, who is also a Hong Kong lawmaker, added there was capacity for the city to receive more tourists, according to her observations during the Christmas and Lunar New Year holidays.