China summons US diplomat, vows to retaliate if Donald Trump signs Hong Kong democracy act into law

Beijing calls on Washington to ‘stop the act becoming law’ after it is passed by Senate, with the US president retaining the right to sign or veto it

Support for the bill surges among senators amid a siege at a Hong Kong university campus

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A protester holds an American flag on Wednesday at Polytechnic University, where anti-government protesters and police are locked in a stand-off. Photo: AP

Published: 11:34am, 20 Nov 2019Updated: 12:05am, 21 Nov 2019

China summoned a senior United States diplomat on Wednesday as it warned it would retaliate if US President Donald Trump signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act into law.

In a statement after the bill was passed by the US Senate, the Chinese foreign ministry said Foreign Vice-Minister Ma Zhaoxu had summoned William Klein, the US embassy’s minister counsellor for political affairs.

“China will take strong opposing measures, and the US has to bear all the consequences,” the statement said.

The Senate passed the bill on Tuesday, an act that could pave the way for diplomatic action and economic sanctions against Hong Kong’s government.

US Senator Marco Rubio said the passage of the bill was an important step in “holding accountable those Chinese and Hong Kong government officials responsible for Hong Kong’s eroding autonomy and human rights violations”.

“The United States Senate sent a clear message to Hongkongers fighting for their long-cherished freedoms: we hear you, we continue to stand with you, and we will not stand idly by as Beijing undermines your autonomy,” Rubio said.

It was the second time China had summoned a US diplomat since anti-government protests in Hong Kong began five months ago, triggered by a now-withdrawn extradition bill that would have allowed the transfer of criminal suspects to mainland China’s opaque legal system.