Beijing on Tuesday ordered Hong Kong to suspend extradition and other criminal justice cooperation agreements with Britain, Australia and Canada in tit-for-tat retaliation for similar action they took against the city over the imposition of the national security law.
The Chinese foreign ministry warned New Zealand, a member of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence alliance together with the three countries and the US, that Beijing reserved the right to respond accordingly, hours after Wellington also suspended its extradition deal with Hong Kong.
The latest punitive action taken against Hong Kong by Western governments escalating their conflict with Beijing raised concerns about the cost to the city’s reputation and even the risk of it becoming a haven for criminals.
In addition to extradition, the suspended agreements allowed mutual assistance for investigations, such as sharing evidence and documents.
Beijing on Tuesday ordered Hong Kong to suspend extradition and other criminal justice cooperation agreements with Britain, Australia and Canada in tit-for-tat retaliation for similar action they took against the city over the imposition of the national security law.
