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A passenger wearing a face mask exits the arrivals hall of the Hong Kong International Airport terminal.
Miguel Candela | Images SOPA | LightRocket | fake images
SINGAPORE – The travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore could take effect this month, and discussions are ongoing with other countries, including Thailand and Japan, according to Hong Kong Finance Secretary Paul Chan.
“We are working hard with the Singapore government,” Chan said. “The goal is to launch this as soon as possible in November, and the sooner the better.”
The two cities announced plans in mid-October to allow leisure travel to resume without the need for quarantines. Instead, tourists would undergo a coronavirus test before departure. Hong Kong may also require a second test after arrival.
Tourism and aviation have been hit hard by this year’s pandemic. Singapore and Hong Kong also have domestic air travel markets to cushion the blow.
At the same time, we are working very hard with the mainland authorities to try to reactivate travel between Hong Kong and the mainland because, from a commercial point of view, this is very important to accelerate the recovery of our economy.
Paul chan
Hong Kong Secretary of Finance
Singapore has unilaterally opened its borders to tourists from countries where the coronavirus situation is under control such as New Zealand and Brunei.
Chan said Hong Kong is in talks with 10 other countries to allow similar travel bubbles.
“For example, Thailand, Japan: these are the countries with which we have more advanced discussions,” he said, adding that the authorities are working “very hard” to expand the network of air travel bubbles with different jurisdictions.
“At the same time, we are working very hard with the mainland authorities to try to revive travel between Hong Kong and the mainland because, from a commercial point of view, this is very important to accelerate the recovery of our economy,” Chan said .
The city went into recession last year after months of anti-government protests, and the Covid-19 outbreak dealt another blow to the economy.
However, when asked if Hong Kong could lose some of its luster to Shenzhen, the secretary said the financial center has a “unique competitive advantage.”
Shenzhen celebrated 40 years as a special economic zone last month and was given flexibility to carry out reforms in some areas, according to Reuters.
Chan said there is “complementary cooperation” between Hong Kong and other Chinese cities.
“There are areas where we are highly competitive and leading the way, but there are also other areas where we can work with neighboring cities to achieve maximum synergistic effect, for example innovation and technology,” he said.
“The way we see it is, in this process, we have to work together to get the best result for all stakeholders,” he continued. “But on the other hand, in … sectors where we are doing well, we have to keep improving, making ourselves even more competitive and ahead of our competition.”
