One-stop control to simplify procedures at the HK border
Print Edition
THE Hong Kong government yesterday announced a one-stop boundary control arrangement at the cross-border railway station in West Kowloon.
The move allows passengers to go through the customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) procedures of both Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland successively at the West Kowloon Station (WKS) in Hong Kong, according to a plan approved by members of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Under the arrangement, CIQ officials from the Chinese mainland will work in a designated area at the station, after the commissioning of the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL).
The 26-kilometer Hong Kong section of the link is due to be put into operation in the third quarter of next year.
By that time, northern-bound passengers may join or leave trains at any station along the route, reaching any mainland city on the national high-speed rail network without having to get off midway to go through boundary control.
The same applies to the reverse direction, in which passengers who get on Hong Kong-bound trains from any city on the national high-speed rail network can go through CIQ procedures of the mainland and Hong Kong after arriving at the station in Hong Kong.
The co-location arrangement is similar to that of Shenzhen Bay Port, which has been welcomed by many travelers since it was commissioned in 2007.
To implement the co-location arrangement, the mainland and Hong Kong need to first reach a cooperation arrangement which will be endorsed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.
After the endorsement of the top legislature, Hong Kong needs to implement it through the enactment of local legislation.
The cooperation arrangement on co-location will be fully consistent with the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Justice Rimsky Yuen told a press conference.
Upon commissioning, the Hong Kong section of the link will substantially reduce the rail journey time between the city and various major mainland cities.
The traveling time between Guangzhou and Hong Kong, for instance, will be shortened from around two hours to about 48 minutes; whereas those for Shanghai and Beijing will be reduced to around eight hours.
“The Hong Kong section of the XRL is an important strategic infrastructure project for the future of Hong Kong, and the co-location arrangement at the WKS is instrumental in unleashing its full transport, social and economic benefits,” Yuen said.
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