Trump and US Senate officially support Hong Kong protests

(Patria) – US President Donald Trump signed a bill supporting anti-government protesters in Hong Kong, a move that official Beijing called 'full of prejudice and arrogance'.

The bill, which was unanimously supported by the US Senate as well as the House of Representatives last week, threatens Chinese and Hong Kong officials with sanctions for human rights violations in Hong Kong. The bill also requires the US State Department to review annually whether Hong Kong maintains sufficient autonomy to adequately respond to US trade criteria.

Official Beijing views this US move as 'pure interference in China's internal affairs', which deepens the tensions between the two countries that have developed due to the trade war.

Several hours after Trump put his signature on the document, the Chinese Foreign Minister stated that 'the bill, which has been condemned by the entire Chinese people, including compatriots from Hong Kong – is full of prejudice and arrogance. It treats Hong Kong with intimidation and threats,' according to a statement from the Chinese Ministry.

The US President also signed another document approved by Congress, which bans the export of crowd control munitions to the Hong Kong police, such as tear gas, rubber bullets, etc.

– I signed these bills out of respect for the Chinese President and the people of Hong Kong... in the hope that the leaders and representatives of China and Hong Kong will be able to amicably resolve their differences for the sake of long-term peace and prosperity for all, Trump said on Wednesday.

At the same time, the Hong Kong government states that it 'strongly opposes and regrets' the law as it will harm the autonomous province's relationship with the US, and that it will send the wrong message to protesters whom the government considers violent 'rioters' pushing the city to ruin, writes The Guardian.

In the last 6 months, the anti-government protests have challenged China's authority over Hong Kong under the motto 'one country, two systems' – the condition under which Great Britain returned Hong Kong to China.

The protests reached their peak slightly earlier in November when police tightened their grip around a university whose campus was filled with protesters, many of whom were students. Last week, more than 1,100 people were arrested, while the total number of arrests since June has exceeded 5,800.