XRL deal must be made public

(November 21, 2017)

The co-operation arrangement signed between Hong Kong and the Mainland for implementing the co-location plan at the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Rail Link must be made public after legal procedures on the Mainland are finished.
 
Chief Executive Carrie Lam made the statement before today's Executive Council meeting.
 
She said legal basis is important for implementing the co-location arrangement as Hong Kong's legal system is based on the rule of law.
 
Mrs Lam said, after the signing of the deal at the weekend which marked the first step in taking forward the tasks of the co-location arrangement pursuant to the three-step process, a decision by the National People's Congress Standing Committee to approve and endorse the co-operation arrangement will be sought.
 
Emphasising there has been no cover up of the deal, Mrs Lam said most of the co-operation arrangement's details were revealed in a press release.
 
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government must respect Mainland legal procedures and details of the deal will be disclosed after these procedures are completed, she added.