China threatened “strong countermeasures” after a new U.S. bill on Hong Kong. But Hong Kong has recently emerged as a major point of contention that could derail recent progress on trade negotiations: After the Senate passed the bill to support Hong Kong protestors, China accused the U.S. of interfering in its domestic affairs. “It is a stark hegemonic practice and a severe interference in Hong Kong affairs, which are China’s internal affairs. Key background: Pro-democracy protests erupted in Hong Kong almost six months ago over a bill that would extradite those accused of committing a crime in Hong Kong to mainland China. Until Wednesday, it had been unclear whether Trump would sign the U.S. bill on Hong Kong into law.

Source: Forbes November 29, 2019 19:03 UTC