Loss of fugitive transfer deals a ‘pity’ and only helps criminals, Chris Tang says

ExclusiveLoss of fugitive transfer deals a ‘pity’ and only helps criminals, Chris Tang says Security minister tells SCMP it’s up to countries that suspended agreements whether to resume them As Hong Kong marks the 29th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on July 1, the South China Morning Post talks to the city’s senior officials about the administration’s achievements so far and what may lie ahead. Resuming extradition agreements with some countries is up to the ones that suspended them, Hong Kong’s security chief has said, calling the loss of such transfer deals a “pity” and something that only benefits criminals. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said in an exclusive interview with the SCMP that the suspensions had resulted in the absence of a legal foundation for exceptional “case-by-case” extraditions as well. “It is not our call. It is a call of those foreign countries. Because of those political reasons, they suspended those treaties. I think it is not a regret. It is a pity,” Tang said. The security chief warned that the lack of the agreements would only benefit criminals. “The only one being benefited is criminals. So I hope those foreign countries will resume those treaties,” he said.