China has warned that the UK will bear the consequences of its decision to suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong amid fears that th
China has warned that the U. K. will “bear the consequences” of its decision to suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong amid fears that the city’s courts are no longer independent of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Britain suspended the treaty and blocked arms sales to the former British territory after China imposed its national security regime on the city, which has been rocked with anti-government and pro-democracy protests since June 2019. Liu Xiaoming, China’s ambassador to London, said via Twitter that the U. K. would “bear the consequences of damaging bilateral relations.” He described the decision as “gross interference in China’s internal affairs.” In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China “urges the British side to abandon the illusion of continuing colonial influence in Hong Kong… so as to avoid further damage to China-Britain relations.” Announcing the move on Monday, foreign secretary Dominic Raab cited a draconian national security law, which allows China’s feared state security police to take over in Hong Kong-based cases deemed “serious” by Beijing, and which bans peaceful dissent under the banner of “secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign powers.” The law applies to anyone of any nationality criticizing the Hong Kong or Chinese authorities anywhere in the world, sparking concerns that an extradition to Hong Kong could see a case brought under the national security regime, possibly even in a mainland Chinese court.
