AmCham still has concerns about Hong Kong’s extradition agreement with mainland China, despite efforts to water it down

City’s most influential American business network says it appreciates efforts to relax plan by wiping nine economic crimes from list but argues it is not enough

Chamber urges government to consider alternative and ‘more narrowly tailored means’ to address any urgent extradition-related issues

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Guangdong police officers hand over three robbery suspects to their counterparts in Hong Kong last July. Photo: Edward Wong

Published: 11:30am, 29 Mar 2019Updated: 10:09pm, 29 Mar 2019

Hong Kong’s most influential American business network said on Friday it “continues to have serious concerns” about a contentious extradition proposal, despite government attempts to water it down earlier this week.

The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) made its stance clear three days after the government said it would wipe nine economic offences from a list of extraditable offences under a proposal to allow the one-off transfer of fugitives to any jurisdiction Hong Kong lacks an extradition deal with – including mainland China.

The watered-down bill, which was officially gazetted on Friday, came after the business sector presented a united front, warning the proposal could affect the city’s reputation as an international business centre.

AmCham, comprising 1,500 members and the biggest international business chamber in Hong Kong, said it appreciated the government’s effort but argued it was not enough to ease their serious concerns.

American Chamber of Commerce President Tara Joseph. Photo: Jonathan Wong

“The new arrangements could be used for rendition from Hong Kong to a number of jurisdictions with criminal procedure systems very different from that of Hong Kong … without the opportunity for public and legislative scrutiny of the fairness of those systems and the specific safeguards that should be sought in cases originating from them,” a statement, issued on Friday, read.