China suspends US Navy visits to Hong Kong

China has suspended visits by US Navy ships and aircraft to Hong Kong after Washington passed a legislation last week backing pro-democracy protesters.

Beijing also unveiled sanctions against a number of US human rights groups. It comes after President Donald Trump signed the Human Rights and Democracy Act into law.

The act orders an annual review to check if Hong Kong has enough autonomy to justify special trading status with the US.

China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act seriously interfered in Hong Kong's internal affairs.

Addressing a news



briefing in Beijing, Hua said China urges the United States to correct its mistakes and stop any words and deeds that interfere in Hong Kong and China's internal affairs.

She said China could take further necessary actions depending on how matters develop.

China has long accused foreign groups and governments of fomenting the 6-month-old demonstrations in Hong Kong.

Among the groups to be subject to the unspecified sanctions, the National Endowment for Democracy receives funding directly from Congress, while others generally draw their running costs from a mixture of private and public grants.