Hong Kong extradition bill: Beijing’s demand for unity ‘will force’ business sector to back controversial proposal
- Industry boss says they will not stand in the way of controversial proposals following plea for support from Beijing’s top representative in the city
- Senior church figure calls on politicians to listen to some of the public’s ‘deep worries’
Beijing’s drive to push through a controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong will effectively force the city’s business sector to align behind the proposals, a former lawmaker has said.
James Tien Pei-chun, of the business-friendly Liberal Party, said strong remarks attacking Western powers for interfering in the row – from the director of Beijing’s liaison office in the city, Wang Zhimin – had made it essential the entire pro-establishment camp backed the government’s push.
“The government could ask for a vote on the bill at any time, or in June or July, because it has now become a mandatory mission [from Beijing],” Tien said on a radio programme on Saturday. “The pro-establishment camp will all fall in and support it.”
The contentious bill would allow the transfer of fugitives to jurisdictions with which Hong Kong does not have an extradition deal, including mainland China. Opposition to the bill has triggered unprecedented clashes in the city’s legislature and posed the worst political crisis of Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s leadership. The plan’s detractors say it could leave Hongkongers at risk of politically motivated prosecution in other parts of China.
Another pro-business party, the Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA), said it had supported the rule change from day one but wanted more clarity.
