Exchanges between mainland and HK irresistible

Whether or not to limit the number of individual tourists from the mainland is a question the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is mulling over.

Generally speaking, a country's citizens are free to go anywhere within a country's territory without a permit. But the "One Country, Two Systems" policy implemented in Hong Kong and article 22 of Hong Kong Basic Law mean that "for entry into the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, people from other parts of China must apply for approval".

Before Hong Kong returned to China in 1997, Chinese mainland residents needed to use their passport to go to Hong Kong. And before 2003 Chinese mainland residents could only visit the special administrative region with approval and as part of a travel agency's tour group. Residents of some big mainland cities were allowed to visit Hong Kong for up to seven days in an individual capacity to help the SAR's economy after it was hit by the outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndromes in 2003.