China says part of Hong Kong rail station to be subject to mainland laws

BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) - China’s parliament on Wednesday said part of a Hong Kong high-speed railway station being built in the city center would be regarded as Chinese territory, an unprecedented move that critics say further erodes the financial hub’s autonomy.

: Laborers work in front of West Kowloon Terminus, under construction for the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, in Hong Kong, China July 21, 2017. Picture taken July 21, 2017. REUTERS/Bobby Yip/File Photo

Hong Kong reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997, when it was granted a high degree of autonomy under a “one country, two systems” arrangement, giving it a separate police force, immigration controls, an independent judiciary and freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China.

Following a meeting of the standing committee of China’s largely rubber stamp parliament, the National People’s Congress, delegates voted to approve the plan to allow the enforcement of mainland Chinese laws within part of the station that will link up with the rest of China’s high-speed rail network.

“It is appropriate ... that the Mainland Port Area within the West Kowloon station would be regarded as belonging to mainland China,” according to the legislative document released by parliament on the decision.

Critics say the “co-location” arrangement, also known as “one land, two checks” in Chinese, sets a dangerous precedent as it violates the city’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, in which article 18 explicitly states national laws, with a few exceptions, do not apply in Hong Kong.