This archive report was first published on 2 December 2019.
On December 2, 2019, China took retaliatory measures against the United States in response to the passage of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.
The act, signed into law by US President Donald Trump, requires the president to annually review Hong Kong's favourable trade status and threatens to revoke it if the semi-autonomous territory's freedoms are quashed.
China's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, announced the suspension of US warship visits to Hong Kong, citing 'unreasonable behaviour' by the US side.
Additionally, China will apply sanctions to several US-based NGOs, including the National Endowment for Democracy, Human Rights Watch, and Freedom House, which China claims have supported anti-China forces and incited separatist activities in Hong Kong.
The sanctions come as the city of Hong Kong continues to experience increasingly violent unrest, with protesters demanding greater democratic freedoms and police accountability.
