EXTRADITIONS TO CHINA A POSSIBILITY WITH HK LAW

EXTRADITIONS TO CHINA A POSSIBILITY WITH HK LAW

China’s planned national security law for Hong Kong could allow for extraditions to the mainland

Beijing says the new national security law is needed to end the political unrest and restore stability

Critics see it as potential knock-out blow for Hong Kong’s cherished freedoms and autonomy

Hong Kong: Special administrative region of the People's Republic of China in the eastern Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea

Hong Kong is on China's southern coast. It is surrounded by the South China Sea on all sides except the north 

Territory consists of Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula, the New Territories, Lantau Island, and over 200 other islands

Hong Kong became a colony of the British Empire after the Qing Empire ceded Hong Kong Island at the end of the First Opium War in 1842

Colony expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860 after the Second Opium War, and was further extended when Britain obtained a 99-year lease of the New Territories in 1898

Hong Kong has been a special administrative region of China since 1997, with executive, legislative, and judicial powers devolved from the national government

Under these terms and the "one country, two systems" principle, the Basic Law of Hong Kong is the regional constitution

Regional government is composed of three branches: Executive: The Chief Executive is responsible for enforcing regional law,  can force reconsideration of legislation, and appoints Executive Council members and principal officials. Legislature: The unicameral Legislative Council enacts regional law, approves budgets, and has the power to impeach a sitting Chief Executive. Judiciary: The Court of Final Appeal and lower courts interpret laws and overturn those inconsistent with the Basic Law. Judges are appointed by the Chief Executive on the advice of a recommendation commission

Chief Executive is the head of government and serves for a maximum of two five-year terms

Legislative Council has 70 members, each serving a four-year term. 35 are directly elected from geographical constituencies and 35 represent functional constituencies (FC)

Chinese national law does not generally apply in the region and Hong Kong. Its judicial system is based on common law, continuing the legal tradition established during British rule. However, interpretative and amending power over the Basic Law and jurisdiction over acts of state lie with the central authority, making regional courts ultimately subordinate to the mainland's socialist civil law system

Central government and Ministry of Foreign Affairs handle diplomatic matters, but Hong Kong retains the ability to maintain separate economic and cultural relations with foreign nations

Census and Statistics Department estimated Hong Kong's population at 7,482,500 in mid-2019

Hong Kong has a capitalist mixed service economy, characterised by low taxation, minimal government market intervention, and an established international financial market.