The latest country to suspend the agreement is Finland, the seventh country to suspend the extradition agreement due to the National Security Law of Hong Kong, reducing the number of countries that have signed agreements with Hong Kong by nearly 40%. China expresses its strong dissatisfaction and opposition, and calls on Finland to stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs so as not to damage Sino-Finnish relations.
The Finnish government posted an announcement on its official website on the 16th of March, stating that President Sauli Niinistö has approved the recommendation of the Ministry of Justice to suspend the extradition agreement. The Finnish Foreign Minister had already pointed out that the situation in Hong Kong had changed when the National Security Law came into force in July, and that the extradition agreement with Hong Kong was no longer applicable.
The spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Finland responded on the same day on its official website, expressing “strong dissatisfaction and strong opposition” to Finland’s decision to suspend the agreement with Hong Kong on the surrender of fugitive offenders. The spokesman reiterated that the National Security Law of Hong Kong is an important measure to ensure the stability of “one country, two systems” and that Hong Kong affairs are purely an internal affair of China, and urged Finland to stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any way so as not to damage the overall situation of China-Finland relations.
Prior to China’s unilateral enactment of the National Security Law, Hong Kong had signed extradition agreements with 19 countries, but since the implementation of the National Security Law in July, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Germany have suspended their extradition agreements with Hong Kong, and France, which has signed an agreement with Hong Kong but has not yet entered into force, has suspended its efforts to seek congressional approval. The National Security Law sets vague standards and penalties for four types of crimes affecting national security, including collusion with foreign powers and secession, causing many foreign organizations and companies to worry about freedom of information and instability of personal security.
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