Hong Kong's top development official said?on Wednesday the government is studying a plan to build a new checkpoint linking the metropolis with the Chinese mainland in the next decade.

Secretary for Development of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Carrie Lam told the Legislative Council here Wednesday that the proposed Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai boundary checkpoint will offer a quick link between Hong Kong and Guangdong, boosting regional co-operation and development.

According to the HKSAR government's planning, the new Liantang/ Heung Yuen Wai boundary checkpoint will connect the Eastern Corridor in neighboring Shenzhen and offer an efficient access to the eastern part of Guangdong Province and adjacent provinces via the Shenzhen-Huizhou and Shenzhen-Shantou expressways, cutting the journey time between Hong Kong and Shenzhen city, the eastern part of Guangdong, Fujian and Jiangxi provinces.

Lam said the proposed new checkpoint would also help divert cross-boundary traffic and upgrade the overall capacity and service quality of various checkpoints in the eastern part of Hong Kong with an expected handling capacity of about 20,600 vehicles and 30,700 passengers daily in 2030.

She noted a new trunk road is needed to link up the new checkpoint and existing highway networks and details will be available if Hong Kong and Shenzhen both agree to construct the new checkpoint.

She said a study on the land use planning for the closed area, covering the proposed new checkpoint and adjacent areas, will be completed by mid-2009. Another study will also be launched in early 2009 for completion in end-2010, aiming to devise a plan to boost Sha Tau Kok rural township and surrounding areas.

(Xinhua News Agency July 3, 2008)