China MOFA on HKong-US extradition treaty suspension

China's foreign ministry on Thursday said that Hong Kong will suspend its extradition agreement with the US in response to the US decision to suspend extradition and tax exemption treaties with the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

On Wednesday, the US suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong, becoming the latest country to do so after Canada, Australia and Britain suspended such agreements.

Hong Kong has faced mounting international pressure following Beijing's implementation of a national security law which has been viewed as an attack on the "one country, two systems" framework under which the city has been governed since its return to China in 1997.

"I want to emphasize again that Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs and no one should interfere," said ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, who urged the US to "stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs."

At Thursday's regular news conference, Zhao said the US is not qualified to call for the resumption of sanctions on Iran by the UN Security Council because it has withdrawn from the Iran nuclear deal, in response to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who said the US will impose sanctions on any nation that opposes its effort to "snapback" UN sanctions on Iran.

"China firmly opposes unilateral sanctions and so-called long arm jurisdiction imposed by the United States on other countries," said Zhao.

Last week, the Security Council rejected a US resolution to extend the arms embargo on Iran.

Russia and China voted against the resolution and France, Germany and the UK abstained.

In response to the remarks of  the White House adviser Peter Navarro that Democrats and the communist Chinese are in "common cause" to block President Trump's re-election, Zhao Lijian said what Navarro said was "completely ridiculous".

Navarro said on Wednesday that it was the common strategy of the Democratic Party and the Chinese Communist Party to blame the Trump administration for a global pandemic created by China.

"This man is addicted to telling lies, and spreading political virus and false information all around," said Zhao.

He said China has no interest in meddling in the US election and American politicians should stop setting up China as a subject in the campaign.