Australia ended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and extended visas for Hong Kong residents after China imposed a national security law on the city.
The law, which aims to tackle subversion, terrorism, separatism and collusion with foreign forces, with up to life in prison, will see mainland security agencies in the city for the first time and allow for extradition to the mainland for trial. Democracy activists across the world condemned the law, saying it will be used to eliminate dissent and tighten Beijing’s control.
Prime minister Scott Morrison on Thursday announced a range of visas that will be extended from 2 to 5 years and offers of pathways to permanent residency visas. “Our government, together with other governments around the world, have been very consistent in expressing our concerns about the imposition of the national security law on Hong Kong. That national security law constitutes a fundamental change of circumstances in respect to our extradition agreement with Hong Kong”, he said.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Beijing reserved the right to “take further actions” in response.
China has earlier imposed tariffs on Australian barley imports and blocked some beef imports in a diplomatic dispute that followed Australia’s push for an independent probe into the origins of the pandemic. Morrison said his proposed inquiry would not be targeted at China, but ambassador Cheng Jingye threatened that Chinese consumers could boycott Australian products and universities because of the calls for the inquiry.
The United Kingdom is also extending residency rights for up to 3 million Hong Kong citizens, allowing them to live and work in the UK for 5 years.
