House passes bill expressing support for Hong Kong protestors, rebuking China

• The proposal would require annual reviews of Hong Kong's special status under U.S. law, during which officials would assess how much China has encroached on the city's autonomy.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a sponsor of the Senate's version of the bill, argued in a floor speech Tuesday that "the United States has treated commerce and trade with Hong Kong differently than it has commercial and trade activity with the mainland of China."

• "But what’s happened over the last few years is the steady effort on the part of Chinese authorities to erode that autonomy and those freedoms," he said.

The other side: The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that China "will take strong opposing measures, and the US has to bear all the consequences," following the bill's passage in the Senate, Fox Business reports.

• "We urge the U.S. to immediately take measures to prevent the case from becoming a law, immediately stop interfering with Hong Kong affairs and stop interfering in China's internal affairs," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang added Wednesday.

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