“It is vital that extradition arrangements in Hong Kong are in line with ‘one country, two systems’ and fully respect Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy. “By amending the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, the Hong Kong SAR government aims to address existing individual cases and improve the existing SAR legal system, which is beyond reproach. Hong Kong, which was promised autonomy and democratic leadership when it was transferred to China from British rule in 1997, is home to one of the largest Canadian communities outside of Canada. Approximately 300,000 Canadian citizens live and work there, according to Global Affairs Canada, and the vulnerability of Canadian citizens to arbitrary arrest is clearly on the foreign minister’s mind. Canada and the U.K. have not been the only foreign observers to worry publicly about the proposed extradition changes, which the Hong Kong government expects to pass before summer.

Source: National Post May 30, 2019 19:15 UTC