US President Donald Trump has signed an order to end preferential treatment for Hong Kong. The new order comes amid China’s controversial security law for Hong Kong.

President Trump said, “Hong Kong will now be treated the same as mainland China.”

In addition to this, Mr. Trump also signed bipartisan legislation according to which sanctions will be imposed on Chinese officials who crackdown on rights in Hong Kong.

China has decided to take retaliatory action.

Trump spoke in the Rose Garden on Tuesday about the executive order to end preferential treatment. He said, “No special privileges, no special economic treatment, and no export of sensitive technologies.”

He also said to media that he had signed Hong Kong Autonomy Act that passed in Congress earlier in July.

“This law gives my administration powerful new tools to hold responsible the individuals and the entities involved in extinguishing Hong Kong’s freedom,”

However, he continued that he had no plans to speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

He told reporters that “we hold China fully responsible for concealing the virus and unleashing it upon the world”.

On the other hand, the Chinese foreign ministry condemned Trump’s recent moves. In a statement, it urged Washington not to interfere in China’s internal affairs.

The ministry also said that retaliatory sanctions would be imposed against American individuals and entities.

“China will make necessary responses to protect its legitimate interests,” the statement said.

Donald Trump also talked about the handling of coronavirus pandemic in the US. He said “So Joe Biden and President Obama freely allowed China to pillage our factories, plunder our communities and steal our most precious secrets,”