Hong Kong slams Australia over extradition treaty suspension

In a rare criticism of Australia, Hong Kong says suspension of an extradition treaty could hurt the fight against global crime.

Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam’s government has handed Australia a rare rebuke. Picture: AFP

Australia’s move to suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong could hamper the fight against international crime, the Hong Kong government has warned.

“We express deep regret and disappointment over Australia’s decision to suspend the agreement on surrender of fugitive offenders,” a spokesman for the Hong Kong government told The Australian.

He said the move to suspend the extradition treaty had allowed the “political agenda to override legal co-operation in criminal matters”.

“Such unilateral action will not be helpful to the fight against international crime,” he said.

The spokesman said the Hong Kong government would continue to monitor the situation following Australia’s decision, announced on Thursday by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

He said Australia’s decision would not undermine the determination of the Hong Kong government “to continue co-operation with the international community in the fight against crimes”.

The comment by the Hong Kong government, led by Carrie Lam, represents a rare criticism of the Australian government from Hong Kong, which signed a free-trade agreement with Canberra last year.

While relations between Australia and China have come under increasing strain in recent years, Australia has continued to enjoy a strong relationship with Hong Kong, which is home to some 100,000 people with Australian passports, thousands of expat business people and many leading Australian companies including ANZ, the Commonwealth Bank, the National Australia Bank, the Macquarie Group and Telstra.

The rare rebuke from the Lam government follows a barrage of criticism of Australia’s actions on Hong Kong by Beijing, beginning with an angry statement from the Chinese Embassy in Canberra “deploring” the suspension of extradition treaty and describing it as a “violation of international law..... and a gross interference in China’s international affairs.”

Police officers outside Hong Kong’s Office for Safeguarding National Security, which will guide enforcement of new national security laws. Picture: Getty Images)

This was followed by comments in Beijing by a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhao Lijian, condemning Australia’s move and warning that China “reserved the right to make further reaction”.

“Australia should bear all the consequences,” he said.

Mr Zhao said China urged Australia to reverse its decision and “stop intervening in Hong Kong affairs and China’s domestic affairs and prevent further harm to China-Australia relations”.

He also called on Chinese students in Australia to take extra safety precautions and warned those students currently in China thinking of returning to Australia to “be cautious when making the decision to go or return to Australia”.

Replying to a question by China’s government-owned Global Times newspaper, Mr Zhao said there had been rising discrimination in Australia against overseas Chinese, including Chinese students, some of whom had “suffered violent attacks”.

“Their physical and mental health, and even lives, were seriously threatened,” he said.

He said this was what had prompted the Chinese government to issue a travel advisory recently for Chinese people considering going to Australia to study.

“We once again remind students who plan to study or are studying in Australia to conduct a risk assessment and be cautious when making the choice to go or return to Australia,” he said.

He said Chinese students in Australia should “strengthen safety precautions”.

“Once again we urge the Australian side to face up to the problem and take concrete measures to protect the safety, rights and interests of Chinese citizens in Australia,” he said.