The Central People’s Government recently instructed the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government to notify the German and French consulates in the city about suspending its extradition arrangement with Germany and halting ratification of its extradition agreement with France.

Hong Kong has signed and ratified extradition agreements with 19 countries. They are Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, South Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Canada, Australia, Britain, New Zealand and Germany suspended their extradition agreements with Hong Kong in July, while France took a similar stance earlier this month. The US suspended its extradition agreement with Hong Kong on Wednesday.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced reciprocal measures against Canada, Australia, Britain and New Zealand; but for Germany and France, Beijing instructed the HKSAR government to inform their respective consulates of the reciprocal treatment. The two approaches reflect Beijing’s strategic response to the “new Cold War” waged by the US, which is aimed mainly at China.

The “new Cold War” took shape around late 2017 and early 2018, with China and Russia as the enemies. However, the speech by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on July 23, titled “Communist China and the Free World’s Future”, marked a major shift in the US strategy — to treating China as its main adversary. Furthermore, Washington is taking aim directly at the Communist Party of China and publicly urging Western countries to form an anti-China alliance dedicated to subverting China’s political system.

It is time Hong Kong residents ditched their unfounded belief in relying on “special treatment” from the US. ... Ties between Hong Kong and Western countries will no doubt be restricted, which means Hong Kong must rely on the motherland to protect its interests from the fallout

Those major Western countries are the G-7 member states plus Australia and New Zealand, both in the Anglo-Saxon spy network known as the “Five Eyes” alliance. Washington apparently wants to form an anti-China alliance of nine countries, but the other eight countries all have their own interests, hence some subtle differences in their attitude toward China.

No country is completely tied to the anti-China chariot built and driven by the US at this point. Even though six of them have suspended mutual legal assistance agreements with Hong Kong, with Britain, Canada and Australia having joined the US in other moves against China, they also expressed a willingness to maintain diplomatic and trade ties with China. They are not on the same page as the US on every matter concerning China.

The different approaches to announcing reciprocal treatment show the Chinese government treats Germany, France, and the European Union at large differently from the rest. The EU now sees China as a systematic rival, but Beijing has reiterated that it should not be a rivalry between two social systems. By “systematic rival”, the EU means China is a strong competitor in many ways. That said, such competition may not and should not exist between their social systems. As long as members of the EU insist that the regional bloc must hold its own in the global power balance and wield its influence over international affairs, there is no reason why China cannot dissuade the EU from joining the US-led anti-China alliance.

As for the Japanese government, only a few senior officials have voiced personal views on recent developments in China’s internal affairs, such as the introduction of the National Security Law for the Hong Kong SAR. As usual, some members of the multipartisan Japanese Parliament have made far more outrageous comments than cabinet officials did on China strengthening national security in the HKSAR. Still, from a geopolitical point of view, Japan should be more cautious than the EU about joining the US-led anti-China alliance, because it has more national interests than the EU in maintaining friendly relations with China.

On the one hand, the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift in global political landscape have sent economic globalization into reverse. Although it cannot last exceptionally long, the countercurrent may take 10 years or more to tire out. Major countries, including Germany, France and Japan, are expected to build up complete industry chains on their own soil soon. Their economic ties with China will likely suffer as a result. However, a fragmenting global economy cannot alter the fact that China is the largest market in the world, and one that Germany, France and Japan cannot afford to ignore.

While the central government is in charge of foreign affairs concerning Hong Kong, the city must also maintain economic relations with foreign entities in a way that suits the country’s foreign strategy. Washington has imposed sanctions on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and several principal officials. It is now treating Hong Kong the same as the mainland in trade, requiring all “Made in Hong Kong” labels to be changed to “Made in China”. It is time Hong Kong residents ditched their unfounded belief in relying on “special treatment” from the US. The unique partnership between the UK and the US will surely undermine Sino-British relations. Ties between Hong Kong and Western countries will no doubt be restricted, which means Hong Kong must rely on the motherland to protect its interests from the fallout.

The author is a senior research fellow of China Everbright Holdings.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.