Suasin, Krisha Marijoule T.

BS Foreign Affairs- IV

Hong Kong Extradition bill

The Hong Kong extradition bill– it all started with a murder on February 8, 2018. A
young couple named Chan Tong Kai and Poon Hiu-Wing, went on a vacation in Taiwan. They
stayed in a hotel for nine days, but on the 17th of February only one of them returned. After a
month, Chan Tong Kai confessed to murdering his girlfriend who was pregnant. The problem
was, Hong Kong authorities could not press charges of murder against Chan since the crime
happened in Taiwan and they could not send him back to Taiwan to be charged because HK and
Taiwan do not have an extradition treaty. In 2019, HK proposed one, the same bill would allow
extradition from HK to China, Taiwan, Macau. This is what sparked the protest. China and HK
are two different places and has a different system. This bill would make China have an upper
hand against HK.

This extradition bill is more than just a bill, it is about the status of Hong Kong and the
power China has over it. China and Hong Kong are two different countries, thus the one country,
two system setting. China is authoritarian country where there is not much freedom, no human
rights, unfair trial and completely no separation of powers. The extradition bill threatens to give
China more power against Hong Kong. It will diminish the difference of Hong Kong and China
as a result it might put some people in danger.

The reason why Hong Kong citizens protest over this bill is because it is seen as the next
step in China’s encroachment on HK’s autonomy. The young people are the forefront of this
protest since they are the first generation born under one country two systems. And in 28 years
when the arrangement of one country two systems end, they will be HK’s professional class
(BBC, 2019). Hence, they will be the one’s greatly affected. Citizens are afraid that they will not
have the freedom that they are experiencing now. This is also a risk when it comes to journalists
since one wrong word or move that they do, they would be in danger.

In an article by the Washington Post, Hong Kong leaders say that this bill promotes
security and it prevents Hong Kong from being a haven for fugitives. In my opinion, despite the
benefits that they are saying, it is obvious that this favors China and puts its citizens at risk. Hong
Kongers are at risk of not having to enjoy the rights that they have. Since, China operates on
assumed guilty principle which is totally different from the common law which has been running
HK for the last hundred years.

The chances of this bill to be withdrawn is slim. This is because of Hong Kong’s unique
nature of democracy [ CITATION ElG19 \l 1033 ]. Hong Kong leaders deny the fact that they are
taking cues from China. However, it is already evident even in their Legislative Council or
LegCo which has 70 seats. Within this system, Hong Kong has many pollical parties, mostly pro-
democracy of pro-China. But this LegCo is dominated by pro-China political parties which gives
them an upper hand on the decisions of the council. When HK was handed to China, they made
an agreement that election of all the members of the Legislative Council should done by
universal suffrage, but this never happened, their leaders are still approved by China. It is
obvious that the way it is structured, is in favor of the China government. So, they will have easy
control over the region.

Aside from the social injustice, it has also binding effects on the business sector and its
economy. According to AmCham, extradition bill damages HK’s competitiveness and
reputation. It is no doubt that HK is one of the most competitive cities in Asia and when this bill
is passed into law it would jeopardize the efficiency of HK. Not only will it do so, but it will give
a rethink option for its investors.

Weaponizing the law means that China will have total control over Hong Kong. And this
would have repercussions on Human Rights and social justice. Despite the amendment of the
extradition bill being a necessity for security reason, it does more harm than good. It will
compromise the freedom of the citizens and it opens the door for China to take control over
Hong Kong’s open society.

References:
El-Ghobashy, T., & Parker, C. (2019, June 12). Hong Kong's protests are about more than an extrdition
law. Retrieved from The Washington POst: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/hong-kongs-
protests-are-about-more-than-an-extradition-law-heres-why/2019/06/12/bf1350be-8d2d-11e9-
b162-8f6f41ec3c04_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.943d596fe0b1

Joseph, T. (2019, May). Extradition bill could damage Hong Kong's rule of law, says AmCham. (S. C.
Post, Interviewer)

Websites:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/06/hong-kong-extradition-bill-terrible-blow-rule-of-law-
chris-patten

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/06/12/asia-pacific/hong-kongs-china-extradition-plan-
controversial/#.XROrRo9S_IU

https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3014140/why-hong-kongs-extradition-bill-not-just-
another-law-beijing-and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ncOVU-wRhQ&t=99s