“Without this agreement, extradition requests may have to go through diplomatic channels,” he added. “It would be ordered in a case-by-case scenario, with each case involving lengthy negotiations between senior government officials, which would make the whole process much more uncomfortable.” The effective implementation of this policy has resulted in a continuous infusion of small steps, including an earlier announcement that goods imported from Hong Kong must now be classified as “made in China”. The official abolition of the extradition treaty on Wednesday is another nail in the coffin of the special treatment given to the United States for Hong Kong. Other areas covered by Trump`s executive order include the removal of Hong Kong`s special regimes for export controls for military and dual-use technologies; processing Hong Kong passport holders with Chinese passport holders, and completing training programs for Hong Kong police officers. The decision whether or not to accept an extradition request generally takes into account the political aspect of an isolated case, Huang said. “Most governments do not take into account requests for the extradition of political criminals.” The student unions, which represented some protesters, made four demands: the complete withdrawal of the extradition law; The removal of all references to the June 12 protest as a riot; Free all arrested protesters; Responsibility for police officers who used excessive force. They warned against an escalation of the protest action if the demands were not met. [96] Cardinal John Tong, the Catholic Apostolic Administrator of Hong Kong, and the President of the Christian Council of Hong Kong, the Reverend Eric So Shing-yit, also issued a joint statement calling for the total withdrawal of the Extradition Act and an independent investigation into allegations of police brutality against protesters. [96] Chinese central government officials weighed in when the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Bureau of Affairs, Zhang Xiaoming, met on 15 May in Beijing with a delegation led by Executive Councillor Ronny Tong, during which Zhang expressed support for the extradition law. At the same time, a delegation led by former pro-democracy MP Martin Lee met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who later issued his statement that he expressed “concerns” that the bill could threaten the city`s rule of law. On 17 May, the director of the liaison office Wang Zhimin met with more than 250 Beijing loyalists in Hong Kong for a two-hour closed-door meeting. He told them to fully support the chief executive and their government`s initiative to pass the law.
[48] Vice Premier Han Zheng and Chinese People`s Political Consultative Conference President Wang Yang also spoke in favour of the extradition law, becoming senior Chinese state officials who provided public support. [49] Chief Executive Carrie Lam defended Beijing`s involvement and said that mainland officials only presented their views after conflicts of laws escalated by foreign powers who took the opportunity to attack the legal system and human rights record on the continent. It degenerated at the level of “one country, two systems” and constitutionality in relation to the basic law. [45] Given that these countries have unilaterally withdrawn from the agreement, it is very likely that the HKSAR government will not consider future extradition requests, Huang said.