China decides to suspend SFO agreement between Hong Kong and Germany
Aug 13, 2020
Beijing [China], August 13 : China on Thursday said it has decided to suspend the agreement on the surrender of fugitive offenders (SFO) between Hong Kong and Germany and shelve a similar one with France.
China has decided to suspend the agreement on the surrender of fugitive offenders (SFO) between its Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Germany and shelve a similar one with France, state-run Xinhua reported citing Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian.
Earlier this month China had condemned Germany's decision to suspend extradition agreement with Hong Kong after the territorial government delayed the local polls.
Germany has decided to suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong, Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, had earlier said.
"The decision by the Hong Kong Government to disqualify 12 opposition candidates and to postpone the elections to the Legislative Council represents a further infringement of the rights of Hong Kong's citizens," Maas had said.
Earlier this month, France too had said it will not ratify the extradition agreement it had signed on May 4, 2017 with Hong Kong following the implementation of draconian national security law in the erstwhile British colony.
"As the minister for Europe and foreign affairs recently reiterated, the national security law in Hong Kong is a change that compromises the inherited framework of the 1997 handover. It calls into question the 'one country, two systems' principle and the respect for Hong Kong's 'high degree of autonomy' and related fundamental freedoms. This law also directly affects our citizens and our companies," French Foreign Ministry had said in a statement.
According to the Xinhua report, Zhao said Germany's unilateral announcement of suspending the agreement and France's halt of the ratification of the agreement have politicised judicial cooperation with Hong Kong, interfered in China's internal affairs and violated international laws and basic norms governing international relations.
Several countries have suspended their extradition agreements with Hong Kong in the wake of imposition of the controversial security law.
China earlier announced the suspension of Hong Kong's extradition treaties with Canada, Australia and Britain after the three countries announced similar decisions in protest to controversial new security law.
