National security law: top Hong Kong officials slam US sanctions, citing ‘double standards’ and vowing to resist American domination
- Cabinet adviser to city leader, chief secretary and finance minister renew criticisms, vowing to stand behind Beijing’s retaliation
- Exco member Ronny Tong says foreign jurisdictions have no reason to suspend extradition deals, expressing confidence in city’s judicial independence
Hong Kong executive councillor Ronny Tong Ka-wah, an adviser in the city leader’s cabinet, on Sunday hit out at the US and other foreign countries for planning to suspend extradition treaties with Hong Kong, insisting that the city’s judiciary remained independent under the national security law.
To suspend such arrangements would be allowing politics to override justice
His comments followed Beijing’s pledge on Wednesday to retaliate tit-for-tat, after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending Hong Kong’s preferential trading status. The US also set up a law to penalise mainland Chinese and local officials deemed to have been involved in eroding the city’s freedoms, as well as to suspend extradition arrangements with Hong Kong.
Speaking on a radio programme, Tong suggested that the suspension of extradition treaties showed that some foreign politicians saw the new law as a death knell for the city’s judicial independence. Under the legislation, Hong Kong’s leader can designate a group of judges to oversee national security cases.
“Under our agreements, people would only be extradited over criminal offences, not political crimes … To suspend such arrangements would be allowing politics to override justice,” Tong said.