Supposedly after my June incident and complaint in August, where I had to repack two loosely packed bags to one bag when checking HKG-PEK on an all-CA LAX-HKG-PEK-LAX ticket, HKG CA counter staff (Jardine) have been 處分'd (whatever that means, but at least they would've been lectured) about checking in HKG-PEK for tickets beyond. I quoted USDOT regulations (new as of early 2012), so my case does not exactly apply to the OP. CA's own regulations do not prevent a lower allowance if you're checking just HKG-PEK for the day, so you need to look for relief from government or IATA regs.