HONG KONG - Hong Kong’s deputies to the national legislature and members of the nation’s top political advisory body have rallied behind the HKSAR Government over its proposed amendment to the city’s extradition laws, saying the move will help safeguard stability.
The deputies to the National People’s Congress and members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee on Wednesday vowed to perform their duty to explain the proposed amendments at length to the people of Hong Kong.
The pledge came after Chen Dong, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, discussed the issue at a meeting with more than 260 dignitaries representing different sectors of Hong Kong society. Apart from NPC deputies and CPPCC members, the group included leaders of local organizations.
It was the second time in less than a week that a senior official of the liaison office had met local NPC deputies and CPPCC members to exchange views on the rendition law revamp.
On Friday, Wang Zhimin, director of the liaison office, met some 250 Hong Kong deputies and political advisers, and pledged the central government’s full support for the amendments.
NPC deputy Ip Kwok-him said both NPC deputies and CPPCC members in Hong Kong have the responsibility to help the public better understand the content of the extradition bill, which will strengthen the city’s social stability.
Fellow NPC deputy Maggie Chan Man-ki warned that members of the public could be misled by misunderstanding and scaremongering comments from those opposed to the extradition bill.
She said such comments have created a cloud of fear that will harm the city’s prosperity and stability, adding she hopes Hong Kong people could comprehend the overall situation and the importance of the proposed changes.
Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, a Hong Kong member of the CPPCC National Committee, said the revised extradition law will bolster the rule of law in the SAR.
He shrugged off concerns that the new law would affect the preferential tariff treatment that Hong Kong enjoys globally, saying the city’s international status did not come out of the blue, but was earned through its endeavors, including upholding the rule of law.
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