Pompeo arrives in UK to discuss China, 5G and Brexit
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo today arrived in the United Kingdom, with plans to discuss China, 5G and a Brexit free trade deal with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Pompeo, who did not speak to reporters on the plane, was due to be greeted by US ambassador Woody Johnson shortly after landing.
“While in London, secretary Pompeo will meet with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and foreign secretary Dominic Raab to discuss global priorities, including the Covid-19 economic recovery plans, issues related to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Hong Kong, and the US-UK Free Trade Agreement negotiations,” the US State Department said ahead of his visit.
Pompeo’s visit comes as the UK today said it is suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong immediately, in response to Beijing imposing new legislation in the former British colony.
“The imposition of this new security legislation has significantly changed key assumptions underpinning our extradition treaty arrangements with Hong Kong,” Raab told MPs.
“The government has decided to suspend the extradition treaty immediately and indefinitely.”
Raab also said an arms embargo would be extended to Hong Kong, meaning no exports of weapons or ammunition and a ban on any equipment which might be used for internal repression, like shackles and smoke grenades.
“We will not consider reactivating those arrangements, unless and until there are clear and robust safeguards, which are able to prevent extradition from the UK being misused under the new national security legislation,” Raab said.
Australia and Canada suspended extradition treaties with Hong Kong earlier this month. US President Donald Trump has ended preferential economic treatment for Hong Kong.
Last week Johnson ordered equipment from China’s Huawei to be purged completely from Britain’s 5G network by the end of 2027.
China — once courted as the prime source of investment in British infrastructure projects from nuclear to rail — has accused Britain of pandering to the United States.