China has decided to impose sanctions on some United States lawmakers, government officials and heads of NGOs for their egregious actions on issues related to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

The move is in response to Washington's abuse of illegal and unilateral sanctions on officials representing the central government in Hong Kong and officials of the SAR government, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular news conference in Beijing.

On March 31, the US Department of State announced its sanctions against six Chinese officials for allegedly "undermining Hong Kong's autonomy". The sanctions block any transactions on property, funds or deals within the US made by these individuals.

"The US' unilateral sanctions gravely interfere in China's internal affairs, including Hong Kong affairs, and violate the principles of international law and basic norms governing international relations. China strongly condemns this despicable move," Guo said.

According to the spokesman, China's decision was made in accordance with the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, which was passed in 2021 to counter foreign sanctions. It gives China legal support and guarantee to counter discriminatory measures by a foreign country in accordance with the law.

Guo reminded the US that Hong Kong is China's Hong Kong, and Hong Kong affairs are purely China's internal affairs, which "brook no US interference".

"Any wrong action taken by the US on Hong Kong-related issues will be met with a resolute response and reciprocal countermeasures by China," he said.

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