New rules aim to strengthen consumer protection in GBA

Guangdong province has issued new regulations to strengthen consumer protection cooperation with the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, a move expected to facilitate cross-boundary consumption and boost confidence in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's integrated consumer market.

The regulations, including the Guangdong Province Consumer Rights Protection Regulations and the Guangdong Province Regulations on Promoting Consumer Rights Protection Cooperation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, were officially unveiled earlier this week and will take effect on Oct 1.

As a specialized regulation focusing on cross-boundary consumer protection cooperation, the latter aims to improve coordination among consumer protection authorities, address challenges arising from increasingly frequent cross-boundary consumption and contribute to the development of a high-quality living area across the 11-city cluster.

Under the regulation, consumer councils in Guangdong and the nine mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area will strengthen cooperation with their counterparts in Hong Kong and Macao through agreements, cooperation mechanisms and information sharing. The three sides will enhance collaboration in areas including cross-boundary complaint handling, consumer education, dispute mediation and consumer risk warnings.

The regulation comes as cross-boundary exchanges in the Greater Bay Area continue to expand.

Shenzhen's ports recorded 273 million cross-boundary passenger trips in 2025, including 170 million made by Hong Kong and Macao residents, up 9 percent year-on-year, according to the Office of Port of Entry and Exit of the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government.

As more people travel, shop and spend across the region, demand for consumer protection has also grown.

According to the Hong Kong Consumer Council, Chinese mainland consumers filed 5,192 complaints against Hong Kong traders in 2025 involving online shopping, including complaints related to three major mainland e-commerce platforms registered in Hong Kong. During the same period, complaints filed by Hong Kong consumers against mainland traders rose by more than 40 percent year-on-year.

The figures underscore the need for closer coordination among consumer protection bodies across the Greater Bay Area.

"Against the backdrop of the Greater Bay Area featuring one country, two systems and three legal jurisdictions, exploring cooperation in cross-boundary consumer protection has pioneering significance nationwide," said Wu Jingsong, director of the research center for local legislation and law enforcement risk assessment at South China Normal University.

Wu said the regulation serves as a bridge connecting the three consumer markets. He added that establishing a cross-boundary complaint transfer platform, as outlined in the regulation, would help transform institutional trust into consumer confidence and support closer economic exchanges within the region.

Jiang Baoguo, a professor at the School of Law at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, said the regulation responds to the growing demand for cross-boundary consumer protection while building on years of cooperation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.

It promotes the "soft connectivity" of rules and mechanisms in the Greater Bay Area and provides legal support for building a high-quality living area suitable for living, working and traveling, Jiang said.

Consumers also welcomed the new regulation, saying it would make cross-boundary consumption more convenient and provide stronger protection when disputes arise.

"I frequently travel to Shenzhen for dining, shopping and entertainment, and the two places do have different consumer protection systems," said Liu, a consumer from the Chinese University of Hong Kong who gave only her surname.

"I believe closer cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will give us greater confidence when making cross-boundary purchases."

Chen Yanshan contributed to this story.

sally@chinadailyhk.com