LONDON (UK) – Newspapers have reported that Britain will suspend its extradition pact with its former colony of Hong Kong on Monday following the straining of ties with China over the imposition of a national security law on the financial hub.
On Sunday, foreign secretary Dominic Raab blamed China for gross human rights atrocities. He is slated to announce the suspension of the pact in parliament, reported the Times and Daily Telegraph.
The Foreign Office refused to comment and so did Education Minister Gavin Williamson. But he said the country was always ready to speak out when it disagreed with Beijing.
“We want to work with China and we always will want to work with China – it’s an important player on the world stage. But we must always, and will always, speak out where we think they’re doing things that are wrong,” he told Sky News.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin urged Britain to “stop going further down the wrong path”.
The latest move comes as a dirge to the “golden era” of ties with China as announced by then PM David Cameron in 2015.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field
