Border control rules put in place ahead of Hong Kong rail link opening

The Guangzhou-ShenzhenHong Kong Express Rail Link (Co-location) Ordinance was officially implemented on Tuesday to facilitate normal operation of the high speed rail scheduled to be open to the public on September 23.

Passengers could complete immigration inspection, customs, and border quarantine procedures within the designated area before traveling directly to 18 mainland cities by high speed rail, according to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government.

The ordinance declares area B2, B3 and B4 of West Kowloon Station and compartments in the Hong Kong section as the West Kowloon Station Mainland Port Area, where mainland laws could be applied and mainland staff would be dispatched.

The Mainland Port Area could be seen as a counterpart to Shenzhen Bay Port, which lies in Shenzhen but operates under Hong Kong jurisdiction.

A draft of the ordinance ignited wide disputes last year when some claimed it would challenge Hong Kong Basic Law or cause judicial confusion in practice. However, co-location arrangements are a common practice internationally, such as the one between Malaysia and Singapore.

“Co-location arrangements will connect Hong Kong to the mainland high speed rail system, benefiting tourism and business,” said Ding Huang, member of Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong.

“Mainland passengers can board the train from any city and go through border procedures when they arrive. Hongkongers can travel to mainland cities without worrying about whether their destination is a port city,” Ding told the Wen Wei Po newspaper.