Hong Kong extradition bill: business groups breathe collective sigh of relief over government decision to delay legislation
- American Chamber of Commerce sees development as important signal to city’s international business community
- Entrepreneur Allan Zeman hopes move will ease tensions in a city ‘built on trust’
On Saturday, the city’s leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, said the planned amendments to the fugitive offenders ordinance would be put on hold, but it would not be withdrawn altogether. But she said it would not be feasible to restart the legislative process by the end of this year.
Tara Joseph, president of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), told the Post the group was relieved by the decision, and said it showed the government had listened to the people and international business community.
AmCham, which has strongly opposed the bill and urged Lam to ditch it, saw the decision as an important signal to the international community that Hong Kong is serious about protecting its special status under “one country, two systems”, the means by which China allows the city a certain level of autonomy.