'Cooperation to help shoppers make better choices'

A lawmaker highlighted on Friday that new consumer protection regulations for the Greater Bay Area will empower shoppers to make informed decisions and bolster confidence in cross-border shopping. The proposed plan involves consumer councils from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao collaborating through information sharing, managing cross-border complaints, and issuing joint risk warnings.

Chan Hoi-yan, speaking on an RTHK program, noted that Hong Kong residents frequently encounter challenges when seeking redress for purchases made on the mainland. She emphasized that the issue extends beyond shopping, as some Hong Kong individuals also travel north for dental procedures such as teeth cleaning or implants, and often face difficulties upon returning.

Chan expressed that joint investigations across these regions would yield valuable reference data in the future, eliminating the need to rely on online influencers or word of mouth for selecting dental clinics, hospitals, or nursing homes. Instead, objective quality surveys and consumer market research would become more prevalent.

Perry Yiu, another lawmaker, spoke on the same RTHK program about the importance of strengthening collaboration between Hong Kong and mainland cities to boost tourism. Many overseas travelers arrive in Hong Kong via mainland hubs such as Beijing and Shanghai. Yiu argued that enhanced cooperation between the two sides could attract more visitors to Hong Kong and offer them multi-destination itineraries. He believed that this strategy would help broaden the island's visitor base.