China vows 'retaliatory sanctions' against US after Trumps signs ‘Hong Kong Autonomy Act’

After the United States President Donald Trump on July 14 signed the ‘Hong Kong Autonomy Act’, China’s foreign ministry reportedly said that Beijing will impose ‘retaliatory sanctions’ against the US. As per reports, the Chinese authorities on July 15 said that the country ‘firmly opposes and strongly condemns’ the executive order signed by Trump. They further also added that China will make ‘necessary responses’ to protect its legitimate interests and impose sanctions on relevant US personnel and entities. 

Beijing’s warning comes after Trump signed legislation to impose sanctions on China in response to its interference with Hong Kong’s autonomy. Trump also signed an executive order ending the preferential treatment given to Hong Kong by the US. Under the new order, Hong Kong will now be treated the same as mainland China with no special privileges, no special economic treatment, and no export of sensitive technologies. 

READ: China: US Xinjiang Warning 'bad For The Whole World'

Trump on Tuesday stepped up the pressure to punish Beijing. During his speech in the White House Rose Garden, Trump said, “Today, I signed legislation and an executive order to hold China accountable for its oppressive actions against the people of Hong Kong. Hong Kong Autonomy Act which I signed this afternoon passed unanimously through Congress”. 

READ: South China Sea Dispute: Philippines Asks China To Comply With 2016 Arbitral Ruling

China responsible for ‘unleashing’ COVID-19: Trump 

Amid the soaring tensions between the US and China, Trump also asserted that the new law will give his administration powerful new tools to hold responsible the individuals and the entities involved in extinguishing Hong Kong's freedom. Furthermore, he informed that his administration has confronted untrustworthy Chinese technology and telecom providers. "We convinced many countries not to use Huawei because it's a big security risk. Just today, the UK announced that they are not going to be using it," he said.

Trump even slammed the World Health Organisation for being a puppet to China and also continued to blame China for the spread of novel coronavirus globally that has affected the United States severely. He said, “Make no mistake, we hold China fully responsible for concealing the virus and unleashing it upon the world. They could’ve stopped it. They should’ve stopped it. It would’ve been very easy to do at the source when it happened”. 

READ: China Warns US Not To “aggravate” Discord And “stir” Division Amid Heightened Tensions

READ: China On Huawei, Japan, Arms Sale To Taiwan