China Punishes US For Supporting Hong Kong

China has suspended U.S. military ships and aircraft from entering Hong Kong and announced sanctions against certain US-based NGOs on Monday.

What Happened

China on Monday declined the US applications to visit Hong Kong by their military ships and aircraft. They also issued sanctions against a number of US-based NGOs, including the International Republican Institute, the National Endowment for Democracy, Human Rights Watch, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and Freedom House. The move comes in response to President Trump's recent signing of bills backing Hong Kong protesters, <ahref="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-protests-china-usa/china-suspends-u-s-military-visits-to-hong-kong-sanctions-u-s-based-ngos-idUSKBN1Y60IQ">according to Reuters.

Last week, President Trump signed into law the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, a move that angered China, which had taken a strong stand against the bill in a bid to protect their "one country, two systems policy," according to CNBC.

"We urge the U.S. to correct the mistakes and stop interfering in our internal affairs. China will take further steps if necessary to uphold Hong Kong's stability and prosperity and China's sovereignty," said Hua Chunying, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman at a news briefing in Beijing.

Why It Matters

Tensions around the signing of the new bill could further aggravate the US-China trading relations, which have already soured on both sides over the past few months.

Responding to China's "firm counter measures" to the U.S. pro-Hong Kong law, a U.S. State Department official said, "We have a long track record of successful port visits to Hong Kong, and we expect that to continue."

He also dubbed the charges against US-based NGOs as "false accusations" that are "intended to distract from the legitimate concerns of Hongkongers."