The US has long maintained a special trading relationship with Hong Kong , a semi-autonomous territory where mass protests have erupted continuously since June over perceived infringement on its autonomy by Beijing, among a host of other issues. In a personal signing statement, Trump added that he had signed the bills "out of respect for President Xi (Jinping), China, and the people of Hong Kong. "They are being enacted in the hope that Leaders and Representatives of China and Hong Kong will be able to amicably settle their differences leading to long term peace and prosperity for all." Separately, the Hong Kong government called the act "unnecessary and unwarranted" and said it "deeply regretted that the US has disregarded the genuine concerns raised repeatedly by Hong Kong." "Although human rights and democracy are mentioned in the title of the Act, some of the provisions in the Act are actually about export control and enforcement of the sanctions imposed by the United Nations in Hong Kong, which are totally unrelated to human rights and democracy in Hong Kong," a spokesman said.

Source: CNN November 27, 2019 23:43 UTC