China's top legislature yesterday began to deliberate a bill that will allow Hong Kong to set up a customs office in Shenzhen, Xinhua said.

Under the arrangement dubbed "One Port, Two Customs," Hong Kong would be authorized to exercise its customs laws and regulations from offices on land leased from Shenzhen, Xinhua said, without elaborating.

However, the governments of Shenzhen and Hong Kong have said the Western Corridor, which will be open by July 1, 2007 as a new passage to link the two cities, will be the two cities' first cross-border infrastructure to have one-stop customs and immigration clearance.

That means the Hong Kong customs authority will set up its office in Shenzhen in conjunction with Shenzhen Customs.

The Western Corridor is a 5.5-kilometer, two-way three-lane carriageway from Dongjiaotou, Shekou, Shenzhen to Ngau Hom Shek in northwestern Hong Kong, spanning across the Shenzhen Bay.

The new link will shorten the journey from Shekou to Hong Kong's Route 3 to 20 minutes.

Editor: Yan