China threatens US with countermeasures if punished for Hong Kong law
- Beijing will take ‘every necessary measure’ to oppose any new sanctions imposed by US, foreign ministry says
- White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien earlier warned that proposed national security legislation could cost city preferential US trading status
China on Monday threatened countermeasures against the United States if it is punished for plans to impose on Hong Kong a sedition law that the business hub’s security chief has hailed as a new tool to defeat “terrorism”.
The new security law bans treason, subversion and sedition in Hong Kong and comes after months of massive, often-violent pro-democracy protests last year.
But many Hongkongers, business groups and Western nations fear the proposal could be a death blow to the city’s treasured freedoms, and thousands took to the streets on Sunday despite a ban on mass gatherings introduced to combat coronavirus.
As police dispersed the crowds with tear gas and water cannons, Washington’s national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, warned the new law could cost the city its preferential US trading status.
00:57
Hong Kong wants rule of law, not China’s national security law, says top US official Robert O’Brien
But China’s foreign ministry said Beijing would react to any sanctions from Washington.