The large numbers who took part in the demonstrations on 9 and 12 June 2019 show that broad sections of the Hong Kong population reject the amendment as they fear it will erode the rule of law and Hong Kong’s autonomy. These are fears shared by entrepreneurs and legal professionals, as well as by the international community. We, together with our EU partners, have also expressed our concerns to the Hong Kong Government.

We are waiting to see if the postponing of the second reading of the amendment in the Legislative Council originally scheduled for today will impact the Hong Kong Government’s timetable. The final vote was planned for 20 June.

At the same time, we are examining whether the current bilateral extradition agreement between Germany and Hong Kong can retain validity if the planned extradition law is adopted in its current form.