US suspends extradition and withdraws from bilateral agreements with Hong Kong

The US State Department announced on Wednesday 19 August that the US had suspended three bilateral treaties with Hong Kong. The treaties make provision for extradition arrangements, including “the surrender of fugitive offenders and sentenced persons, and reciprocal tax exemptions on income derived from the international operation of ships”.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that the decision to suspend the treaties was in response to the new national security law imposed on the region by China which has effectively “crushed the freedoms and autonomy of the people of Hong Kong”.

Hong Kong responded on Thursday 20 August with a reciprocal suspension of arrangements on its end and issued a rebuke to what it termed US “mistakes”. This tit for tat position over Hong Kong adds to the already significant tensions between the US and China over trade arrangements, Chinese actions in the South China sea, and widespread international allegations of Chinese genocide of the Uighur Muslims.