Is Hong Kong’s autonomy under threat?

Hong Kong‘s government is pushing ahead with its controversial plans to introduce new extradition laws despite mass protests.

Although it is a semi-autonomous part of China, Hong Kong does not have an extradition agreement with Beijing.

A proposal would allow for criminal suspects to be sent to countries where there is no extradition treaty.

On Sunday, an estimated one million people protested in Hong Kong in the biggest rally since Britain returned the territory to Chinese rule in 1997.

Critics fear China could use the law to target political opponents and see this as another sign of the mainland eroding the city’s independent judiciary and political system.

So, are people right to worry? And what could this mean for Hong Kong’s future?

Presenter: Martine Dennis

Guests:

Claudia Mo – Hong Kong legislator and pro-democracy activist

Victor Gao – Vice president of the Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing-based think-tank

Andrew Leung – Hong Kong businessman and research fellow at Beijing Normal University