(Bloomberg) --
China threatened to retaliate if the U.S.
Congress follows through with passing legislation that would require an annual review of whether the city is sufficiently autonomous from
Beijing to justify its special trading status.The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it would take strong measures if the bill passed. The Hong Kong
Human Rights and Democracy Act is one of four measures passed by the U.S. House Tuesday in unanimous voice votes.QuickTake: What U.S. Congress Is and Isn’t Doing About Hong KongThe bill provides for
sanctions against officials “responsible for undermining fundamental freedoms and autonomy in Hong Kong.” A similar bill is also before the
Senate, though the timing of a vote there remains uncertain. The legislation has bipartisan support in both chambers.To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Li Liu in Beijing at lliu255@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.