Hong Kong’s joint checkpoint part of ‘one country, two systems’

Last month, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) endorsed the Hong Kong government’s plan to set up a joint checkpoint for the high-speed rail link from Hong Kong to Guangzhou.

This endorsement, coming from the NPCSC, the country’s top legislative body, cannot be overruled by any court in Hong Kong.

The government’s co-location joint checkpoint plan includes the leasing of a quarter of the West Kowloon terminus to mainland authorities. This will allow passengers to have their travel documents checked by Hong Kong and mainland officers within one terminus.

The NPCSC endorsement now clears the way for the Hong Kong administration to introduce into Legco within the coming weeks draft legislation to enact a joint checkpoint arrangement for the West Kowloon station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong express rail link, featuring a one-stop customs and immigration clearance process for passengers.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, has said the joint checkpoint arrangement is something new that arose from the “one country, two systems”.

She hopes the draft legislation will be passed by Legco in good time to allow the third quarter opening of the Hong Kong section of the express rail link.