Advertisement
Opinion | Hong Kong protests: China will never tolerate any challenge to the bottom line of ‘one country, two systems’
- It’s not the extradition bill that threatens to undermine ‘one country, two systems’, but the actions of radical protesters and the foreign forces that support them
- The rule of law is the basis of Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability and must be upheld. Protest violence must end
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Hong Kong, and the violence in the city, has been a focus of public attention and the extradition bill is blamed. What is it about this bill?
Advertisement
Early this year, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) proposed to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance to strengthen the rule of law and plug a legal loophole caused by a lack of extradition arrangements between Hong Kong and many other places, including but not limited to the Chinese mainland.
However, this legitimate act aimed at preventing Hong Kong from becoming a haven for fugitives was distorted by the opposition and some foreign forces, who claimed this would allow the SAR to send people to the Chinese mainland for trial.
Due to a lack of consensus, the SAR government decided to put the work on hold.
Critics say the bill will undermine “one country, two systems”. My first question is: who is attempting to undermine it?
Advertisement
Advertisement