Pro-Beijing veteran Maria Tam backtracks on claim that checkpoint decision has legal binding power for Hong Kong courts
Basic Law Committee member now says three-step process forms legal basis for co-location arrangement
The decision by China’s top legislative body on a joint checkpoint plan in Hong Kong for a cross-border rail link had “no direct binding power” over the city, instead it was a “looped three-step” process including local legislation that formed the legal basis for the arrangement, according to a pro-Beijing heavyweight.
The latest comments by Basic Law Committee member Maria Tam Wai-chu contrasted with her claims over the past two days that the National People’s Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) had legal binding power over local courts on a par with Basic Law interpretations made by the top body.
“The NPCSC’s decision, under Chinese constitutional laws, are equivalent to laws, but they are mainland laws, not Hong Kong’s local laws,” Tam told an RTHK radio programme on Monday.
