Unease at China’s extradition plan for Hong Kong

Jeremy Hunt and Canadian counterpart raise concerns over Beijing proposal that targets foreign nationals

IT’S easier to spot China’s red flag with its five yellow stars these days in Hong Kong than it is to see the territory’s own. From the T-shirt of a tai chi master on a misty morning practice to a cushion in the offices of a vocal prodemocracy lawmaker across town, the flag’s prominence is a reminder of Beijing’s growing influence over the former British colony – although it’s not always as powerful a symbol as it seems. “I sit on it!” laughed Claudia Mo, the lawmaker in question.

But China’s reach in Hong Kong has prompted a much more serious row over a new bill proposed last month that would allow the extradition of suspects, including foreign nationals, to China for the first time. Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, expressed concern yesterday about the proposal in a joint statement with Chrystia Freeland, his Canadian counterpart.

“We are concerned about the potential effect of these proposals on the large number of UK and Canadian citizens in Hong Kong, on business confidence and on Hong Kong’s international reputation,” the statement read.

Britain and Canada said it was vital that the extradition arrangements in Hong Kong were in line with the “one country, two systems” formula agreed when the colony was returned by the UK to Chinese rule in 1997.

Other foreign envoys as well as lawmakers, human rights defenders and business groups, have also raised fears that it will erode rule of law in Hong Kong and leave individuals vulnerable to unfair trials in China.

“In a nutshell, nobody in the world has any trust or confidence in China’s legal or judicial systems; they just don’t have fair trials,” Ms Mo told The Daily Telegraph. “The interpretation of the law is all up to them – they can do anything; they can package any crime to get you back.”

Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, has defended the proposal as closing a loophole so fugitives can be brought to justice.

John Lee, the security secretary, said the government had decided that only suspects facing more serious crimes with a minimum punishment of at least seven years, rather than the previous three years, could now be extradited, and added that extradition requests from China could only come from its highest judicial organ, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate. However, opposition democrats said the tweaks weren’t enough and reiterated demands that the entire bill be scrapped.

There is little popular support – thousands took to the streets last month and another demonstration is planned for early June. Despite this, it is expected to be rushed through in July by Hong Kong’s legislative council, where the pro-beijing camp easily outnumbers its opponents.