New Zealand Suspends Extradition Treaty With Hong Kong

New Zealand’s foreign affairs minister Winston Peters announced on Tuesday that its extradition treaty with Hong Kong has been suspended.

In light of this development, New Zealand will tighten controls on exported military goods with the territory.

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The decisions were made due to China’s decision to pass a national security law for Hong Kong, Peters said in a statement.

“China’s passage of its new national security legislation has eroded rule-of-law principles, undermined the ‘one country, two systems’ framework that underpins Hong Kong’s unique status, and gone against commitments China made to the international community.”

New Zealand could “no longer trust” that Hong Kong’s criminal justice system was sufficiently independent of China, Peters said.

Britain, Australia and Canada suspended their extradition agreements with Hong Kong amid similar concerns about China’s ruling Communist Party imposing the national security law.

The export of sensitive goods from New Zealand to Hong Kong would come under different scrutiny, Peters said.

“From now on, we will treat military and dual-use goods and technology exports to Hong Kong in the same way as we treat those exports to China.”

Travel advise to alert New Zealanders to the risks presented by the law would also be updated.

Peters said New Zealand’s review of its overall relationship with Hong Kong was ongoing.

“New Zealand remains deeply concerned at the imposition of this legislation, and we will continue to monitor the situation in Hong Kong as the law is applied.”