NZ suspends extradition treaty with hK
WELLINGTON (Reuters) — New Zealand has suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and made a number of other changes following China’s decision to pass a national security law for the territory, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said yesterday.
“New Zealand can no longer trust that Hong Kong’s criminal justice system is sufficiently independent from China,” Peters said in a statement.
“If China in the future shows adherence to the ‘one country, two systems’ framework, then we could reconsider this decision,” he added.
Beijing imposed new legislation on the former British colony earlier this month despite protests from Hong Kong residents and Western nations, setting the financial hub on to a more authoritarian track.
Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom all suspended extradition treaties with Hong Kong earlier this month.
US President Donald Trump has ended preferential economic treatment for Hong Kong.
Peters said New Zealand would treat military and dual-use goods and technology exports to Hong Kong in the same way as it treats such exports to China as part of a review of its overall relationship with Hong Kong.
He added that travel advice has been updated to alert New Zealanders to the risks presented by the new security law.
In a website statement, the Chinese embassy in New Zealand called the decision “a violation of international law and gross interference in China’s internal affairs.”
“The Chinese side has lodged its grave concern and strong opposition,” an embassy representative said in the statement.