The recent clash between "courier" passengers and local residents in and around Shang Shui station prompted the SAR government to seek a solution to the problem and promise some form of intervention. This author believes it is necessary for the SAR government to intervene, but it should focus on regulating instead of banning such activities.

First of all, the growing problem of "courier" passenger activities can be traced back to the fact that mainland residents' consumption capacity has risen significantly as a result of fast economic development. "Parallel consumer goods" are nothing new in Hong Kong but the goods crossing the boundary these days are not the same as those in the past. Previously, most of the goods were mid-range and high-end consumer items, particularly luxury items subject to high tariffs, or products the mainland could not mass produce. For example, in the early days of reform and opening, the mainland couldn't even make something as simple as electronic watches, which is why they were among the top "parallel imports" for some people.

Today most of the goods going north across the border are baby products, daily-use chemicals and food items. Some people claim the "parallel consumer goods" became an issue mainly because of the food safety scare on the mainland. That really is only an impression rather than the truth. Think about it. If the living standard on the mainland were still as low as before the reform and opening, when most people couldn't afford to eat and dress reasonably well, who would mind so much the quality of food, clothing and daily-use consumer goods, let alone coming to Hong Kong to buy them?

Mainland residents are not shopping only in Hong Kong these days. You can find them in droves everywhere around the world with luggage of all sizes in tow. Therefore, unless the mainland economy collapses and people's purchasing power takes a nosedive, there is no way to cut off the "parallel consumer goods" flow for good. If the authorities start to intercept and round up "courier" passengers and send them back to Shenzhen, the traders simply will stop gathering in one place and work individually at any transportation junction. That means, apart from increasing its cost, the problem cannot be solved just by focusing on a hot spot or two.

Also, "courier" passenger activities are increasing because it is now easier for people to travel between the mainland and Hong Kong. As local media have reported, "courier" passengers used to be mostly Hong Kong residents and some even did it for a living. The volume of consumer goods they carried back then was nowhere near today's. That is why people didn't mind. Today most of the "courier" passengers are mainlanders and not only are the volume of goods they carry huge, but their manners are often lacking as well. This hurts the interests of some Hong Kong residents and constitutes a challenge to people's values. And this has led to clashes. Some, therefore, have urged mainland (particularly Shenzhen) authorities to punish "courier" passengers without knowing whether the mainland has laws and regulation to follow or whether the "courier" passengers indeed violated Hong Kong law or regulation.

In fact, as the mainland continues to open up and mainland residents' awareness of their individual rights grows, it is becoming harder for local authorities to limit people's right to cross the border on their own accord. Besides, once mainland residents are entitled to a particular civil right, it is practically impossible for the authorities to take it back nowadays, because that would bring about overwhelming repercussions.

Therefore, the postponement of a plan by Shenzhen authorities to allow more non-permanent residents holding multiple-reentry permits to cross into Hong Kong and Macao cannot be an indefinite suspension, not because the mainland authorities have some political benefit to gain from doing so, but because mainland residents want greater freedom to cross the border.

Hong Kong, as a Chinese city, is a very popular destination for sightseeing and shopping. Even with respect to the "One Country, Two systems" principle, mainland authorities cannot afford to restrict people's access forever, because they will have mainland residents' objection to contend with if they do. So, even if the mainland authorities take some restrictive measures against "courier" passengers in response to a desperate plea by the HKSAR government, such measures will be only temporary instead of long-term.

Therefore, under the current circumstances, the SAR government should focus on regulating "courier" passenger activities and help such operations continue in a proper manner as long as they are legal. That way, they should be able to complement the supply and demand relationship between Hong Kong businesses and mainland buyers without disrupting local residents' daily life.

The author is a veteran current affairs commentator.

(HK Edition 09/21/2012 page3)