China on Tuesday said that it will retaliate, after the Trump administration placed new restrictions on US exports of defence equipment and certain high-technology products to Hong Kong in response to Beijing imposing a controversial national security law on the semi-autonomous city, The New York Times reported.
Criticising the American response to the Hong Kong security legislation, Zhao Lijian, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said, "The US wants to use the so-called sanctions to obstruct China's legislative process, to safeguard national security in Hong Kong -- such an attempt stands no chance of success," he said. "Regarding the wrong moves by the US side, China will take necessary retaliatory measures to resolutely safeguard our national interests."
The Trump administration determined in late May that Hong Kong no longer had significant autonomy under Chinese rule, and promised to begin stripping away Hong Kong's privileged status with the United States if Beijing continued to crack down on civil liberties in Hong Kong.
Chinese lawmakers approved a national security law on Tuesday that could drastically curb protests and other criticisms of the Chinese government, infringing on an arrangement that has made Hong Kong, which China ceded to Britain in 1842 and which ceased being a British colony in 1997, autonomous in many respects.
In separate statements on Monday, the US State Department said that it would end exports of U.S. military equipment to Hong Kong, while the Commerce Department said that Hong Kong would now be subject to the same types of controls on certain technology exports that apply to China. Those controls block American compes from selling certain types of sensitive, high-technology products that could threaten national security to China, Russia and other countries deemed to be a security risk.
The effect of the new restrictions announced on Monday appears to further limit the scope of trade between Hong Kong and the United States.
( With inputs from ANI )