Mainland Chinese legal expert says Hong Kong Basic Law change not needed if mainland officers stationed at rail terminus

(SCMP)ABeijinglegalexpertonSundayfloatedacontroversialproposalthatmainlandofficerscouldbepostedatthehigh-speedraillink’sWestKowloonterminuswithoutaddingtotheBasicLaw’slistofmainlandlawsapplyingtothecity.

BasicLawCommitteememberandPekingUniversitylawprofessorRaoGeping’sremarksraisedconcernsaboutwhetherhewassuggestingthatHongKong’sLegislativeCouncilcouldbebypassedontheissueofco-location.TransportministerAnthonyCheungBing-leunghadpreviouslypromisedtoallowlawmakerstoscrutinisetheproposedarrangement.

AccordingtoHongKong’smini-constitution,anationallawcanbeappliedtothecityonlyiftheNationalPeople’sCongressincludesitinAnnexIIIoftheBasicLaw,whichlistsmainlandlegislationrelatingtodefence,diplomacyormattersbeyondHongKong’sautonomy.

OnFriday,LegcodescendedintochaosasitapprovedHK$19.6billioninextrafundingfortheHongKongsectionoftheexpressraillinktoShenzhenandGuangzhou.Pan-democratsobjectedtothefundingasministersfailedtoexplainwhethermainlandofficerswouldbestationedwithHongKongofficersattheWestKowloonterminus.

Theyfearedco-locationwouldprovideanexcuseformainlandofficerstoarrestdissidentsinHongKong,butCheungpromisedtocomeupwithaproposalwithBeijingandpresentitforLegco’sscrutiny.

However,RaosaidonSundaythecentralandlocalgovernmentscoulddecideonimplementingco-locationwithoutthenationallegislatureaddingtoAnnexIII.

“Itonlyconcernslegislationondeparturechecks,andinsteadofimplementinganentiremainlandlawinHongKong,itwillonlybeadoptedinaspecificzoneintheterminus,soitisdifferentfromtheprocedureforAnnexIII,”Raosaid.

HeaddedthatiftheHongKonggovernmentbelievedco-locationwasfeasible,itshouldcomeupwithanagreementwithmainlandauthorities,“andthenationallegislaturecanmakeadecision”withoutchangingtheBasicLaw.

RaoalsosaiditwouldnotcontravenetheBasicLawtoallowmainlandofficerstobestationedwithHongKongofficersandenforcemainlandimmigrationlawsinWestKowloon.

BarristerandformerlawmakerRonnyTongKa-wahsaidhewasconcernedaboutwhetherRaohadtakenHongKong’sjurisdictionintoaccount.

“HongKong’sjurisdictionwillbejeopardisedifofficersareallowedtoenforcethemainland’scriminallawinthecity...andinthiscase,Legcomustnotbebypassed,”Tongwarned.

UniversityofHongKongprincipallawlecturerEricCheungTat-mingalsowarnedthatRao’ssuggestioncouldopenthefloodgatesforBeijingtoadoptmainlandlawsinHongKongwithoutgoingthroughLegco.

“Beijingknowsthereisnowayforustochallengethenationallegislature’sdecision...but‘onecountry,twosystems’willbehamperedifmainlandofficersareallowedtoenforcemainlandlawinHongKong,”Cheungsaid.

AJusticeDepartmentspokespersonsaidinastatementthatthegovernmenthadbeenstudyingdifferentproposalstoadoptco-location,suchasbyamendingAnnexIII.“Rao’ssuggestionisoneofourdirections,butwedon’thaveaconclusionyet,”thespokespersonsaid.

Meanwhile,pro-establishmentlawmakerMichaelTienPuk-sunsaidheunderstoodthatthecentralandlocalgovernmentswereconsideringsendingmainlandofficerstoWestKowlooneverydayaftertheraillinkopensin2018.“Thiscouldalleviatepeople’sworriesthatmainlandofficerswouldstayinHongKong,”hesaid.

Apartfromco-location,controversyoverFriday’svoteontheextrafundingwascomplicatedbyfootageshowingmanypro-establishmentlawmakerskeepingtheirhandsupwhenvotesweretakenbothforandagainstthe­application.

ButLegcopresidentJasperTsangYok-singsuggestedonSundaythatitwasalrightforthecommittee’schairmantojudge,throughhisownfeeling,thatthemajorityoflawmakersvotedinfavouroftherequest.