Hong Kong suspends legal pacts with Germany and France
By Chen Ran
People's Daily app
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Hong Kong(People's Daily) - Hong Kong has suspended its extradition treaty with Germany and France in retaliation, after the two nations abandoned the pact earlier this month.

In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR government said notices were issued today to the German consulate and the Consulate-General of France to suspend the agreements on the Surrender of Fugitive Offenders (SFO).

“It is an international practice to safeguard national security through the enactment of laws,” said a government spokesman, pointing out that Germany and France have used the passage of  the national security law in HKSAR as an excuse.

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(Photo: Xinhua)

The spokesman also accused the two countries of politicizing judicial cooperation, and gross interference in China’s internal affairs. “It is a severe violation of international law and basic norms governing international relations; the government firmly objects to it,” the statement said.

The Hong Kong SAR government signed the SFO agreement with Germany in May 2006, then entered into force in April 2009. The SFO agreement signed between Hong Kong and France in May 2017, however, has not yet entered into force and the implementation thereby shelved.