CE Holds Talks With Consuls, Business Chiefs

Chief Executive Carrie Lam and top local officials have met dozens of consul generals and international business chambers at the government's headquarters at Tamar on Wednesday.

It is understood that the controversial fugitives law was on the agenda for the two separate meetings.

Some 70 consuls and consulate representatives attended, including those from the US, the European Union, Britain, France, Germany and South Africa.

US Consul General Kurt Tong said it was a “useful briefing”, while others refused to comment.

A separate meeting with business chamber members was then was held.

Among the officials who attended the meetings were Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng and Security Secretary John Lee.

Envoys from Europe, notably Germany, Britain and the EU, had already raised concerns about the amendments to the extradition laws proposed by the SAR government.

The US consul had also, on more than one occasion, voiced his fears over the bill, which will enable Hong Kong to surrender fugitives to jurisdictions with which there is no extradition deal.

They all had raised concerns that the planned changes would enable Beijing to demand the extradition of people from Hong Kong on political reasons, dealing a vital blow to the city's status as a key business and financial centre.

Leading chambers of commerce had also raised such concerns.

Meanwhile, Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting said he has received a complaint from an international business chamber which said it was only given very short notice about the meeting.

Lam said the chamber got the invitation at about 2pm on Tuesday and was asked to reply before 5pm.

He said the hastily arranged meeting shows that the CE is anxious to garner support for the contentious bill.