The United States said on Monday it was gravely concerned about proposed amendme...
WASHINGTON - The United States said on Monday it was gravely concerned about proposed amendments to Hong Kong laws that would allow suspects to be extradited to mainland China and warned that such a move could jeopardize the special status Washington affords the territory.
Another State Department official said Ortagus was referring the United States–Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, which establishes the legal framework by which Washington accords Hong Kong special treatment distinct from the rest of China for purposes of U.S. domestic law. “The United States shares the concern of many in Hong Kong that the lack of procedural protection in the proposed amendments could undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy and negatively impact the territory’s longstanding protections of human rights, fundamental freedoms and democratic values,” she said.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam vowed on Monday to push ahead with the amendments despite the city’s biggest protest since its handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997. A 1992 U.S. law recognizes Hong Kong’s special status and allows the United States to engage with it as a non-sovereign entity distinct from China in matters of trade and economics. Areas of special treatment include visas, law enforcement, including extraditions, and investment.
Analysts say any move to end such special treatment could prove self-defeating for the United States which has benefited from the business-friendly conditions in the territory.
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