There have been fresh calls for the government to intervene in the parallel trading controversy after news agencies found evidence illegal traders have returned to Sheung Shui Plaza.
The Apple Daily reported finding “mainland parallel traders” operating out of the building, just months after the Land Department evicted them from the building. Leases clearly state the premises can only be used for warehousing or industrial use.
The Apple Daily found Mainland visitors trading goods including infant formula, cosmetics, iPhones, instant noodles and other goods.
Gary Fan of the Neo Democrats urged the government to closely monitor the building and “take prompt action to curtail the trading”.
He says the mainland government’s move to cancel multi-entry visitor permits back in April – restricting individuals to one cross border trip a week – worked only for a short time, with parallel traders now returning “in droves”.
Meanwhile, community opposition is gathering to oppose plans for a Frontier Shopping Mall in Fu Tei Au.
A post on North District Random, an English language site promising to “provide an English translation of what [is] happening in North District of Hong Kong you will never know from the mainstream media” argues Hong Kong should be discouraging Mainland visitors, and that the territory is overloaded.
“Limiting the number of Chinese visitors in Hong Kong is the only way to solve the problems caused by cross-border smuggling activities,” says the blog.
Submissions on a plan for the mall submitted to the Town Planning Board close on Friday (August 28)
“One should wonder whether there is an urgent need to eliminate a green belt in order to address the demand of cross-border smuggling activities giving that China may face recession or even depression soon and its currency is in a depreciation trend.
“The so-called parallel trading is not a normal commercial activity. It is smuggling. It is illegal: 1. a breach of conditions of stay; 2. tax-evasion (China’s Import Tariffs); 3 street obstruction.”
While the readership and the influence of the blog may be limited, it further illustrates the underlying community tensions behind the parallel trading issue.