After the United Kingdom and Australia, New Zealand decided to suspend, Tuesday, July 28, its extradition treaty with Hong Kong due to the imposition by China of a new national security law in the territory.
"New Zealand can no longer have confidence in the sufficient independence of Hong Kong's judicial system from China," Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. "If China shows in the future that it adheres to the 'one country, two systems' principle, then we might reconsider this decision."
Beijing sees the new security law passed this month for Hong Kong as essential to bring order to the former British colony after the sometimes violent anti-government protests last year. Critics see it as a shift towards authoritarianism.
In response, Britain, Australia and Canada all suspended their extradition treaties with Hong Kong earlier this month, while the United States ended preferential treatment that has helped to undermine territory one of the world's financial hubs.
Tensions between China and New Zealand
Winston Peters clarified that Hong Kong would be treated the same as China for exports of military and dual-use technology, as part of a review of New Zealand's overall relationship with the administrative region. special.
A note was also published to warn New Zealand nationals of the risks associated with the new national security law in Hong Kong, said the New Zealand diplomat. The law notably allows for the first time Chinese agents to settle in Hong Kong and extradite suspects to mainland China.
China is New Zealand's main trading partner. Relations between the two countries have been strained recently after the Pacific nation backed Taiwan's participation in a World Health Organization (WHO) assembly amid the coronavirus pandemic.
With Reuters
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