The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) yesterday approved the Co-operation Arrangement between the Mainland & the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on the Establishment of the Port at the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link for Implementing Co-location Arrangement.
This decision carries enormous weight - to borrow the words of Li Fei, deputy secretary-general of the NPC Standing Committee, at a press conference yesterday. After the approval by the NPC Standing Committee, Colocation Arrangement [for exit and entry clearances for both the Mainland and Hong Kong authorities] is no longer an issue in discussion or disputable but becomes a major national policy decision of and a component of “one country two systems”.
Starting from the third quarter of next year, a Mainland Port Area will be established in West Kowloon Station (WKS) for Mainland authorities of Exit-entry Frontier Inspection, Customs, Inspection and Quarantine, Integrated Administration of Ports, Rail Police and others to carry out their duties in accordance with Mainland laws. From then on, all Hong Kong residents, Mainland visitors and foreign tourists selecting to travel by express railway back and forth between Hong Kong and the Mainland will have to go through exit and entry clearance procedures in this port area.
The NPC Standing Committee's approval for the implementation of Colocation Arrangement is of important significance in several aspects. First of all, this is to meet the practical need for construction and development. As pointed out by Huang Liuquan, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office under the State Council, at yesterday's press conference, under "one country two systems", location of checkpoints and exit and entry clearance arrangement is at the heart of the matter concerning exit and entry clearances between Hong Kong and the Mainland and whether the express rail link can play its role of fast speed and convenience.
Relevant authorities of the Central Government and the SAR Government, after repeated negotiations, studies, comparisons and analyses of various exit and entry clearance arrangements, have agreed that it is the most reasonable and scientific solution to set a port area at West Kowloon Station and implement colocation arrangement.
Such is the fact. Since the Colocation Arrangement proposal was placed on the agenda, welcoming the express rail link and accepting the Colocation Arrangement has become an irresistible mainstream public opinion among vast majority of citizens, despite the opposition has kept making a fuss on the so-called "jurisdiction" issue. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor earlier made a trip to Guilin with her family. Hong Kong tourists she met there expressed their hope in unison that the express rail link could start operation as early as possible so as to shorten the time of travels. This shows the popular sentiment.(To be continued)
28 December 2017
