US State Department and UK’s Asia minister express support for Hongkongers protesting extradition bill
- The US government issues its most strongly worded critique yet of proposed changes to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance
- The UK’s minister for Asia and the Pacific speaks of a potential ‘chilling effect’ on Hong Kong’s rights and freedom
Expressing the US government’s “grave concern” about the proposed changes to the law, State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus stopped short of calling on the Hong Kong government to entirely roll back the plan but said “any amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance should be pursued with great care”.
“The peaceful demonstration of hundreds of thousands of Hongkongers yesterday clearly shows the public’s opposition to the proposed amendments,” said Ortagus, speaking at a regular press briefing.
The US statement came as Mark Field, the UK’s minister for Asia and the Pacific, spoke of a potential “chilling effect” on Hong Kong’s rights and freedom.
He said the protest march “was a clear demonstration of the strength of feeling in Hong Kong”.
