Port linking Macao, mainland to expand individual access on cooperative fast tracks

The cooperative fast tracks at the Hengqin Port, which links Zhuhai in south China's Guangdong Province and the Macao Special Administrative Region, will expand the scope of individuals allowed to pass through starting at 0:00 on Monday, said a notice issued by the Zhuhai border inspection station on Friday.

The expanded scope now includes foreigners with passports and China-issued foreign permanent resident ID cards, or electronic passports and residence permits valid for more than six months, as well as foreigners with electronic passports, multiple-entry visas to the Chinese mainland, and Macao resident ID cards.

Upon completing the quick customs clearance between the mainland and Macao in advance, these foreigners are permitted to pass through the cooperative fast tracks at the port.

The individuals who are already eligible to use the cooperative fast tracks include those with exit-entry permits for traveling to and from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region and for official purposes, as well as those with mainland travel permits for Hong Kong and Macao residents, non-Chinese citizens from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region, and the Taiwan compatriots.

Individuals who have not completed the collection of biometric data, such as facial recognition and fingerprints, must complete the required registration procedures with the Zhuhai and Macao border inspection departments in advance, the notice said.

Port linking Macao, mainland to expand individual access on cooperative fast tracks

Heavy fog engulfed China's capital city of Beijing and the city of Dezhou in east China's Shandong Province between Friday and Saturday, with visibility dropping to less than hundreds of meters and even a few tens of meters in some areas.

From Friday night to Saturday morning, Beijing experienced dense fog. Visibility was reduced to less than one kilometer, with some areas even being below 500 meters.

The Beijing Meteorological Observatory issued a yellow alert for heavy fog on Friday afternoon. The fog prolonged in most areas of the capital city on Saturday morning, according to the observatory.

Due to the thick fog, sections of expressways in Beijing such as Beijing-Shanghai, Beijing-Tianjin, and Beijing-Harbin were closed.

The observatory forecasts scattered light rain from Saturday afternoon to the evening, with continued poor visibility.

At 05:30 on Saturday, the Shandong Provincial Meteorological Observatory issued an orange alert for heavy fog, with Lingcheng District and Pingyuan County in Dezhou experiencing visibility of less than 200 meters, with some areas even having visibility below 50 meters.

According to the expressway traffic police department of Dezhou, temporary traffic control measures were implemented at toll stations of the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway and the Binzhou-Dezhou Expressway. As of 10:00 on Saturday morning, the traffic control measures on the affected sections had been lifted.

Dense fog envelops Beijing, Dezhou with poor visibility