The Eastern Artificial Island of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) is situated in Zhuhai and belongs to Mainland jurisdiction, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government said today.

The Hong Kong SAR Government made the statement in response to media enquiries.

It said under the Territoriality Principle of the Inter-Governmental Agreement in respect of the Construction, Operation, Maintenance & Management of the HZMB, the Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau governments have the responsibility to take enforcement actions and exercise jurisdiction within their territory in accordance with the respective local laws.

According to the principle, the operation and law enforcement of the Hong Kong Link Road and the Hong Kong Port are carried out by the Hong Kong SAR Government under the laws of Hong Kong.

The operation and law enforcement of the Main Bridge situated in Zhuhai are carried out by Mainland authorities in accordance with Mainland law and those of the Macao Port are carried out by the Macao Special Administrative Region Government under Macau law.

In response to the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Macau’s return to the Motherland and the visit of a national leader to the city, Mainland authorities have decided to step up the HZMB’s security risks management, the statement said.

On December 9, the Zhuhai Municipal Public Security Bureau announced that Zhuhai authorities would set up a security checkpoint at the Eastern Artificial Island of the bridge from December 10 to 22.

The area concerned is squarely situated in Zhuhai and belongs to Mainland jurisdiction, the statement said, adding that the Hong Kong SAR Government should not and would not intervene in the exercise of enforcement power by Mainland authorities in accordance with the Mainland jurisdiction.

It noted the security checkpoint is a temporary measure and is not intended for replacing the existing control points.

Passengers who have completed security checks at the checkpoint are subject to immigration and customs clearance upon arriving at respective control points via the HZMB, the statement added.