Britain suspends Hong Kong extradition treaty

Britain on Monday suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong.

It's an escalation of its dispute with China over its introduction of a national security law for the former British colony.

Francis Maguire reports.

Britain suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong on Monday (July 20).

Its aim is to prevent someone being extradited from the UK to Hong Kong, only to be sent on to China.

The move escalates Britain's dispute with China after it introduced a national security law for the former British colony.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab: "The government has decided to suspend the extradition treaty immediately and indefinitely.

And I should also tell the House that we would not consider reactivating those arrangements unless and until there are clear and robust safeguards which are able to prevent extradition from the U.K. being misused under the new national security legislation." Britain believes a new security law in Hong Kong breaches guarantees of freedoms, which include an independent judiciary.

Officials in Hong Kong and Beijing say the law is vital to cover weaknesses in national security defences, Which, they say, were exposed by recent pro-democracy and anti-China protests.

Britain's decision is the latest sign of tension between the two countries.

Last week, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered Huawei to be removed from Britain's 5G network by the end of 2027.

China has accused Britain of pandering to the United States.

And in response to Monday's extradition move, China warned Britain to 'stop going further down the wrong path'.