State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told a regular news briefing "the continued erosion of the 'one country, two systems' framework puts at risk Hong Kong's long-established special status in international affairs." "The United States expresses its grave concern about the Hong Kong government’s proposed amendments to its fugitive offenders ordinance," Ortagus said. A 1992 US law recognises Hong Kong's special status and allows the United States to engage with it as a non-sovereign entity distinct from China in matters of trade and economics. A US congressional commission said last month that amending the extradition laws could provide grounds for Washington to re-examine elements of its relationship with Hong Kong outlined in the 1992 law. The territory is a major destination for US legal and accounting services and in 2018 the largest US bilateral trade-in-goods surplus was with Hong Kong at $31.1 billion.

Source: bd News24 June 10, 2019 23:03 UTC