COVID surge turns Pearl River smugglers into human traffickers Hong Kongers and Chinese flee city for mainland by boat as China cracks down Chinese authorities have seized these boats that were used to smuggle goods and people from Hong Kong to the mainland. (Photo by Yusuke Hinata) YUSUKE HINATA, Nikkei staff writerMarch 27, 2022 https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/S...-Pearl-River-smugglers-into-human-traffickers GUANGZHOU -- A growing outbreak of the omicron coronavirus variant has brought renewed attention to smugglers who carry goods and, increasingly, people between Hong Kong and mainland China. On a tributary of the Pearl River in Guangzhou dwell more than a hundred small fishermen's boats with their holds exposed and engine rooms emptied. They have been impounded by authorities and are known as "three nos" boats -- no name, no certificate to operate, no port they are registered to. For over two years, this has been the spot where the seized vessels were kept. A local woman says their numbers have risen sharply in recent weeks. As a free port, Hong Kong does not tax imports. Smugglers have made lucrative profits by buying luxury goods and popular items in Hong Kong, such as cosmetics and formula milk, and taking them back in these boats to sell in mainland China. They have even attempted to smuggle frozen meat. A resident says that the number of boats left at this Pearl River tributary by authorities has increased significantly. (Photo by Yusuke Hinata) More sinister, gangs have trafficked vulnerable South and Southeast Asians to Hong Kong on these boats, after they had crossed into China, via the Pearl River to meet the demand for cheap construction labor in the city. A gang run by a Chinese man and a Hong Kong woman was busted in 2017 for smuggling Vietnamese into Hong Kong to work. The gang charged the Vietnamese 5,000 Hong Kong dollars ($638) each to be taken into the city where they could earn more than back home. With the omicron surge in Hong Kong, those boats now have another use -- to take Chinese and Hong Kong residents with Chinese citizenship to the mainland. This is so they can circumvent the two-week quarantine at hotels or government centers China imposes on arrivals at their own expense. After that, they face another week's quarantine at their homes or hotels. Cities in Guangdong Province offer bounties for information about smuggling activities. (Screenshot from Zhuhai Municipal Government's SNS) Facing such harsh rules, many have sought to cross the border illegally. Guangdong Province said Feb. 21 that it had arrested 18 Hong Kong residents on suspicion of trying to cross over into China. Since February, the territory has seen a steep surge in COVID infections, with the number of daily confirmed cases soaring to tens of thousands. In response, Hong Kong tightened restrictions including banning dining out after 6 p.m. and closing shops. These measures triggered a rush of Hong Kongers to mainland cities such as Shenzhen, sometimes bringing with them the virus. Hong Kong media reported that at least four newly confirmed COVID-19 patients in Guangzhou and Hunan Province mid-February had illegally entered from Hong Kong. China's zero-COVID policy meant that restaurants and shopping malls visited by these patients were swiftly closed down, leading to public uproar. There are now worries that if the situation on the mainland becomes worse than in Hong Kong, traffickers could soon be moving Chinese to the territory instead. To clamp down, at least 10 cities in Guangdong Province announced rewards for information about smuggling operations. The city of Lufeng offered to pay up to 1 million yuan ($157,000) for useful information. Zhuhai reportedly paid 100,000 yuan for information that led to the arrest of 10 people on Feb. 15. Another view of the impounded boats used to smuggle goods and people. (Photo by Yusuke Hinata) Guangdong's Maritime Safety Administration said the following day that it would carry out live-fire training in areas around the Pearl River estuary and banned ships from entering the designated areas as scare tactics. Those convicted of crossing illegally face jail terms of up to a year or a fine. Traffickers can be imprisoned for life. Despite such risks, people are still attempting the crossing in, perhaps, a sign of growing frustration of being trapped by China's and Hong Kong's zero-COVID policy.