The Pulse：XRL co-location arrangement & Kwun Tong & Mong Kok redevelopment

The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link has been almost 20 years in the making. First proposed by the government in the Railway Development Strategy 2000, its critics see it as being a Trojan horse motivated by political aims rather than logistical ones. Despite protests from the public and hundreds of affected villagers who faced relocation, the 26 kilometre railway line received funding approval from Legco in 2010. Since then, the controversy has continued. The grounds for this controversy are extensive, including the high price tag, now - estimated to be over 84 billion dollars, through to delays in construction, and on, to government attempts to allow mainland officials to exercise legal jurisdiction in the Hong Kong station as part of the so-called co-location arrangement.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam says there isn’t really any need for more public debate on the Express Rail Link. Official speeches on the government website will, apparently, provide all the information that anyone could require. Well, even when the public is consulted on government projects there’s been evidence that what the public asks for, even if agreed to by official organisations, doesn’t always materialise. A good example of this being consultations on Urban Renewal Authority projects.
On Friday, Donald Trump embarked on his first Asian tour as the President of the United States. Against the background of the probe into Russian election meddling back home, his 12-day trip includes visits to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. We’ll leave you with images of that.
See you next week. Goodbye.