The Legislative Council of Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region (HKSAR) on Wednesday passed a new law underpinning
arrangements for Hong Kong's customs and immigration facilities to
be co-located with those of the Chinese mainland at the Shenzhen
Bay Port.
The Shenzhen Bay Port Hong Kong Port Area Ordinance will provide
a legal basis for the setting up of a Hong Kong Port Area inside
the Shenzhen Bay Port.
The ordinance provides for, among other things, the application
of the laws of Hong Kong SAR to the Hong Kong Port Area and the
court's jurisdiction in this connection.
A HKSAR government spokesman said the HKSAR government will
proceed with the introduction of necessary subsidiary legislation
to support the operation of the Hong Kong Port Area after the
ordinance is published in the Gazette on Friday.
The new control point at the Shenzhen Bay Port, which is to be
linked to Ngau Hom Shek in the Northwest New Territories through
the Shenzhen Bay Bridge (also known as the Hong Kong-Shenzhen
Western Corridor), will be the fourth vehicular boundary crossing
between Hong Kong and the Mainland.
Hong Kong and neighboring Shenzhen City authorities are making
the best efforts to commission the Shenzhen Bay Port within this
year and both sides are also finalizing detailed arrangements on
the control point's opening.
The National People's Congress, or China's top legislature, has
authorized in March to allow Hong Kong to set up a customs office
in the neighboring port city of Shenzhen in the Chinese mainland to
ease pressure on overloaded port facilities, boost economic
development in Hong Kong and the mainland and maintain stability
and prosperity in Hong Kong.
The new port installations will be located near the cross-border
bridge that will link Shenzhen and Hong Kong in Shenzhen Bay, west
of the two cities.
Hong Kong and Shenzhen originally planned to establish their
customs offices at opposite ends of the bridge between Hong Kong
and Shenzhen. But due to "pressure of space", the Hong Kong SAR
government asked for permission to lease a stretch of land and
build its custom office on the Shenzhen side.
(Xinhua News Agency April 26, 2007)