There has been much debate in the media recently, on both sides of the protests, about whether the rule of law was being challenged or undermined. Much of it missed the crucial understanding of what the rule of law means – from a Western perspective, at least. 

Even those arguing for the rule of law, but who are against the police, have often failed to distinguish between abuse of the law and a failure of the rule of law. These are different concepts.

Those calling for judges to play their role in putting down the protests and returning Hong Kong to stability, meanwhile, are obviously talking about rule by law, which is also a different concept. 

In any case, Hong Kong is about to get the most vivid test of whether the rule of law is intact here – but it is likely to spawn a new round of controversy and endless debate over what the rule of law means. 

Continue reading In Hong Kong, rule of law test under way →

Macau and Zhuhai will share a customs and immigration facility very soon, as Macau’s Lotus Port checkpoint has been formally approved to move over to the new Hengqin Port area and will open on December 20. This was confirmed by the National People’s Congress, which formally voted on Friday last week to lease a portion of the port area to Macau so that joint immigration and customs facilities can be managed there. Today, Zhuhai media declared that the move would happen by December 20. 

Continue reading Macau cleared to move Cotai checkpoint to Hengqin →

It’s been a year since the Greater Bay’s symbol-to-beat-all-symbols of integration opened. Local media are full of gushing praise for the project; international media less so. Both are understandable. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is a testament to the scale of the ambitions held for the region, as well as to the challenges presented to the region’s capacity for change and reform.

There is much to be proud of. The HZMB, which runs from Hong Kong’s Lantau island across to an artificial island off the coast of Macau and Zhuhai, is a marvel of engineering, the world’s longest sea crossing. It is now much easier to get from the eastern to the western side of this densely populated region: journeys that previously took many hours have been cut, sometimes to less than an hour.

However, it has also been the victim of high expectations. The bridge is losing money on its operations – HK$1.9 billion so far, by one estimate – and traffic is less than half of original projections, even though it carried 14 million passengers in its first year. As anyone who has been on it can attest, this is a fraction of its capacity.

Continue reading Understanding the HZMB →

A small quota of drivers with cross-border licenses has been approved for the first phase of a pilot program that is being called a “GBA license”. It allows drivers to move freely between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, via certain checkpoints.

If all goes well, the program will be expanded after six months. 

It is not easy to understand the new licensing regulation just by reading the announcement on various government websites. Even the Hong Kong Transport Department announced it in such a way that the SCMP misunderstood it initially, thinking this was a move to open Zhuhai to Hong Kong drivers. It is not. It is nothing more, or less, than a way for Macau and Hong Kong drivers to go through each others’ territories in accessing Guangdong. 

Continue reading GBA driving licenses a reality, sort of →