A new high-speed rail link between Hong Kong and mainland China will launch Sunday, a multi-billion dollar project that critics say gives away part of the city’s territory to an increasingly assertive Beijing.
A new high-speed rail link between Hong Kong and mainland China will launch Sunday, a multi-billion dollar project that critics say gives away part of the city’s territory to an increasingly assertive Beijing.
Chinese security will be stationed in semi-autonomous Hong Kong for the first time at the harbourfront West Kowloon rail terminus, as part of a new “special port area” that is subject to mainland law.
Passengers will cross through immigration and customs checkpoints into the mainland-controlled portion of the station, which includes the platforms and the trains, even though West Kowloon is miles from the border further north.
Under Hong Kong’s mini-constitution — the Basic Law — China’s national laws do not apply to the city apart from in limited areas, including defence.
Hong Kong also enjoys rights unseen on the mainland including freedom of speech, protected by a deal made before the city was handed back to China by Britain in 1997. But there are growing fears those liberties are being eroded.
Officials argue joint checkpoints will make journeys quicker for passengers as they need no further clearance after crossing into the mainland.
The new bullet trains to southern China promise to be far quicker than existing cross-border rail links, and long-haul services will cut journey times to Beijing from 24 hours to nine hours.
