Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt released a joint statement on Thursday regarding the proposed extradition-law changes that would allow criminal suspects captured in the autonomous region to be sent to mainland China to stand trial. “We are concerned about the potential effect of these proposals on the large number of Canadian and U.K. citizens in Hong Kong, on business confidence and on Hong Kong’s international reputation,” the statement reads. Around 300,000 Canadians live in Hong Kong and some have already expressed concern over how the changes may impact their day-to-day lives. (iPolitics)

Talking point: Canada continues to feel the impact of its diplomatic rift with China following the arrest and ongoing extradition trial of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. Since her arrest, China has detained two Canadian citizens and placed trade actions against Canadian exports of canola. While the extradition changes would cover those charged with murder, kidnapping and drug offences, critics worry they could be used to target political opponents of the Chinese regime.