Australia may offer safe haven to HKong residents

The Australian Prime Minister on Wednesday said the country was still considering an offer of safe haven to Hong Kong residents threatened by Beijing's new national security law on the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

PM Scott Morrison told reporters his government continues to be concerned about the situation in Hong Kong.

"These are decisions for Australia about who we provide visas to and on what terms and over what period of time. They're Australian sovereign issues. They aren't about other countries, they are about our country," he said.

"And so we'll make decisions about our visa program and how we run than accordance with the rules that we set, he added.

Australia could cancel an extradition treaty with Hong Kong after China cracked down on the city.

On Tuesday, Australia warned its citizens that they may be at risk of "arbitrary detention" if they visit China, in a move that will further test strained bilateral relations.

It is not clear what prompted the warning, which comes as bilateral relations between the free trade partners have plummeted over Australia's calls for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, believed to have begun in China last year.