Hong Kong Rebuff on Snowden Averts Chinese Strains With U.S.

Hong Kong’s decision to let Edward Snowden leave despite a U.S. warrant for his arrest spared the city a legal battle that would have left it trapped between the competing interests of Chinese and American leaders.

In allowing the ex-National Security Agency contractor to board a flight to Moscow yesterday, Hong Kong no longer has to weigh American extradition demands against signs China didn’t want the city to give up Snowden, who exposed programs in which he said the U.S. monitored its own citizens and millions of Chinese text messages. The consequences include U.S. ire over the move and cast a spotlight on the city’s respect for legal procedures.