The Hong Kong authorities are investigating and considering the extradition of two Danish MPs involved in assisting Xu Zhifeng to go into exile after he attended an environmental conference in Denmark at the end of November last year. However, there is no extradition agreement between the two places, and the Danish foreign minister has also expressed support for the two MPs, the Hong Kong government’s move may trigger the increasingly sensitive diplomatic relations with Denmark. Denmark has broken with more than a decade of cautious China policy following the implementation of national security laws in Hong Kong, and the Danish parliament also unanimously passed a resolution last Dec. 21 that publicly criticized the Chinese Communist Party for human rights violations in Hong Kong.
Ted Hui Chi-fung, a former lawmaker from Hong Kong’s Democratic Party, is wanted by the Hong Kong government for his lightning declaration of exile after traveling to Denmark on Nov. 30 to attend an event. The Danish newspaper Politiken reported that Hong Kong authorities are investigating two Danish lawmakers who had assisted Ted Hui Chi-fung in his exile, and even proposed to issue international arrest warrants to try to request their extradition to Hong Kong for trial. The move is seen as another legal action against foreign nationals under Hong Kong’s national security law.
Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said he would not agree to the extradition of parliamentary politicians to Hong Kong, and that Danish lawmakers could absolutely meet with whomever they wanted without fear of reprisal, and that the government would defend that right. Hong Kong Security Bureau only reiterated that anyone who assists in absconding or conspiring to commit criminal offences will be dealt with under the legal framework of Hong Kong in accordance with the law.
The exiled former member of the Legislative Council, Johnnie Hui, said on the social media platform that all HSBC credit cards for himself and his family were cancelled by the bank unilaterally and without notice on the grounds of commercial decision. (Raymond Hui facebook)
The Hong Kong government is threatening to hold Danish Green Party MP Uffe Elbæk and Conservative Party MP Katarina Ammitzbøll responsible for assisting Xu Zhifeng’s escape. They were involved in issuing a false invitation to an environmental conference under the pretext of organizing an environmental seminar and invited Xu Zhifeng to Denmark, thus diverting the attention of the Hong Kong police and disguising Xu’s intention to go into exile. As a result, shortly after arriving in Denmark, Hui formally announced his withdrawal from the Hong Kong Democratic Party and went into exile, then traveled with his family to London, England, where the family’s bank accounts in Hong Kong were frozen.
Ebaek pointed out that Denmark is a democratic, not a dictatorial society, and that the government will protect its democratic rights and human rights without question. He said he was glad to have helped Xu Zhifeng when he was accused of helping him to abscond. Amitzebol tweeted that it was the Hong Kong authorities who gave Xu Zhifeng the passport to travel to Denmark.
Hong Kong lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, right, walks out of court after Xu Zhifeng was released on bail, Aug. 27, 2020. (Reuters)
Danish media have not been shy about saying that the Hong Kong government’s move to infringe on Danish sovereignty by pro-Chinese Communist Party officials is shocking, and that the Hong Kong government’s move triggered a diplomatic storm between Hong Kong and Denmark. Indeed, Denmark has recently broken with a cautious policy toward China that has been in place for more than a decade. On December 21 last year, the Danish Parliament unanimously passed a resolution with 84 votes in favor and 0 votes against, openly criticizing the Chinese Communist Party for human rights violations in Hong Kong.
During a debate in the Danish Parliament on issues related to Hong Kong, members of parliament expressed their deep concern about the human rights situation in China following the recent restrictions on democratic rights in Hong Kong. Michael Aastrup Jensen, spokesman for the Danish Liberal Party, noted that Denmark was not alone in voicing dissenting views on Hong Kong. He said, “We have seen dissenting opinions from Australia, Sweden, Canada, and we hope that the Biden administration in the United States, and some other countries, can be critical of the extremely negative developments that are taking place in Hong Kong.”
The latest hard-line policy by the Danish parliament underscores the previously cautious China policy, which sparked a diplomatic crisis between China and Denmark in 2009 when the Dalai Lama visited Copenhagen for an informal meeting with the then Danish prime minister. To calm Beijing’s discontent, Denmark then stated that it recognized China’s sovereignty over Tibet and opposed any claims of Tibetan independence. However, Denmark is well aware that it cannot face the Chinese Communist Party alone, and Kofoed stated in Parliament that Denmark will face the Chinese Communist Party through the European Union, which is at the forefront of defending human rights.
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