A UNIFIED law is expected to address prevailing problems on Zhongying Street in Yantian District, including rampant parallel trading and current difficulty enforcing laws because of multiple city departments assuming the same responsibilities.

    Zhongying Street is located on the border between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. On the street there are more than 170 shops registered in the Shenzhen district and over 60 registered in Hong Kong. Recent years have seen more than 100 consumer complaints against counterfeit goods on the street, most of which were sold by Hong Kong shops.

    The district unveiled Sunday a draft of a new framework to re-haul the management of the Shatoujiao border area, according to a report in yesterday’s Guangzhou-based Nanfang Daily. The government is looking for public opinions on the draft.

    The new draft says the new street management bureau, which was established at the end of last year, will take responsibility for managing the street.

    Currently, daily management and law enforcement on the street is conducted by several departments including armed police and Shatoujiao Customs. Each department has its own regulations, leading to chaotic management.

    The new bureau will be tasked with establishing an interdepartmental information sharing system. Departments responsible for customs, quarantine, border inspection, public security and market supervision will be able to communicate through the new system, according to the draft.

    The different agencies operating in the area will be asked to record penalties in the new system within three workdays after the new law comes into affect.

    In addition, real estate property owners and tenants will be required to inform the management bureau within 10 days if their properties were used as a goods storage facility.

    The measure is aimed at cracking down on parallel traders, who prefer to store goods from Hong Kong in residential communities on the street. Many warehouses on the street were residential homes before, the paper said.

    People who disobey the requirement will be subject to a fine of between 1,000 and 5,000 yuan (US$162 and US$807).

    The draft also prohibits illegal occupancy of public venues on the street for business purposes, unlicensed travel services and sales of counterfeit goods.

    Shops that violate any rule more than three times a year will be added to a public blacklist, which will be shared with departments like the customs and border inspection. (Martin Li)