China Leaned on Hong Kong Not to Hand Fugitive to US, State Department Says

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam attends the opening ceremony of Art Basel Hong Kong in Hong Kong on March 27, 2018. Bobby Yip/Reuters

HONG KONG—The U.S. State Department said Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, rejected a request last year to surrender a fugitive into the custody of the United States, at China’s behest.

In an annual report on the Asian financial hub published this week, the State Department said last October’s rejection was the first such instance since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.