UK Moves to Restore Extradition Agreement with Hong Kong Despite Ongoing Concerns

The United Kingdom government is taking steps to reinstate its extradition cooperation with Hong Kong, five years after suspending the treaty due to concerns over China’s controversial national security laws. On July 17, the Home Office formally applied to Parliament for changes, with a letter sent the next day to Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp. The letter, written by Security Minister Dan Jarvis, emphasized that reinstating extradition arrangements is in the UK’s national interest to prevent criminals from exploiting the legal gap and turning the UK into a refuge for fugitives.

The proposed reinstatement also includes Chile and Zimbabwe. Jarvis mentioned that cases involving Hong Kong and Zimbabwe would be evaluated individually, following a "case-by-case" approach. However, the proposal has triggered criticism from several UK officials, especially because of the UK’s historical relationship with Hong Kong—a former British colony—and the decline in civil liberties in the region since the enforcement of China’s national security law in 2020.

In 2024, Hong Kong enacted a new and stricter national security law, known as Article 23, which further expanded the government’s powers to target dissent under charges such as treason, espionage, sedition, and foreign interference. The Hong Kong government defended this legislation as necessary to prevent the recurrence of the 2019 pro-democracy protests. Authorities insisted the law would only affect a small number of individuals deemed disloyal. Nevertheless, countries like the UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, and the United States suspended their extradition deals with Hong Kong in 2020, fearing misuse of the law for political suppression.

Conservative MP Alicia Kearns strongly criticized the UK’s move to reinstate extradition, stating it would be “morally indefensible.” She argued that the Chinese Communist Party had transformed Hong Kong into a surveillance state, dismantling fundamental freedoms, the rule of law, and civil liberties. She warned that the UK risked legitimizing a regime that imprisons critics and uses extradition as a weapon against political dissidents.

In contrast, Ronny Tong, a barrister and executive council member in Hong Kong, dismissed these fears. He stated that extradition agreements are designed for non-political criminal offenses and insisted that any concerns about the deal being used to extradite political offenders are unfounded. According to Tong, the judiciary in the transferring country—like the UK—has the responsibility to block any abuse of the extradition process. He also asserted that Hong Kong’s judiciary is independent and ready to resume the arrangement.

Since the original law was introduced in 2020, 326 people have been arrested under Hong Kong’s national security statutes. The 2024 amendments extended the law’s reach to include more offenses such as theft of state secrets, sabotage, and espionage. Hong Kong officials argue the laws are vital for national protection, especially in light of the pro-democracy unrest in 2019. The government has also issued international bounties and canceled passports of activists abroad, signaling its growing transnational reach.

Recently, Hong Kong issued fresh bounties targeting 19 activists tied to a Canada-based pro-democracy NGO. The city, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under the “one country, two systems” model, was promised autonomy and freedoms until 2047 under the Sino-British Joint Declaration. However, recent legal developments have raised concerns about whether those guarantees are being upheld.