Price to be paid by US for its meddling: China Daily editorial

After the Foreign Ministry stated that China would take countermeasures following the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act being signed into US law last week, many wondered what those might be. They have not had to wait long to find out.

China announced on Monday that it has suspended its approval for US warships to visit Hong Kong and imposed sanctions on US NGOs, such as the National Endowment for Democracy, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, the International Republican Institute, and Freedom House, among others, which have acted "badly" by helping to incite the unrest in the special administrative region.

There is already a large amount of evidence showing that the NED, which receives funding directly from the US Congress, and the other NGOs, which receive government support through a variety of agencies, have been supporting anti-China forces and encouraging activities promoting "Hong Kong independence". By doing so, they bear "great responsibility for the chaotic situation in Hong Kong" and "deserve to be sanctioned".

Although it remains to be seen what form the sanctions will take, it seems clear these organizations that have been instigating the unrest in the special administrative region can expect more than just a reprimand.

The concrete reprisals show that China will not sit quietly while the United States interferes in its domestic affairs.

Some may consider China's response disproportionate in both intensity and scale and that the measures add little weight to China's customary verbal protests against US meddling. But such a view fails to take into account that when the decision was announced on Monday, it was stressed that China will take further measures to safeguard its national interests in light of how the situation develops.

In other words, these may just be first tickets Beijing writes.

Nor should the significance of the countermeasures be discounted as they are a clear indication that Beijing will not budge in the face of an increasingly aggressive Washington, whose stance on China has changed dramatically in recent months, as shown by the recent attacks on China delivered in the speeches of some top US officials.

In the face of Washington's pugnaciousness, Beijing has exercised admirable restraint. Its countermeasures to the US' infernal meddling simply caution Washington not to get carried away with its power plays.

Hopefully, those US politicians who are hellbent on trying to gain political capital from the chaos in Hong Kong will heed the measured message from China and will take the initiative to withdraw their dirty hands from the city. If they continue to live in the illusion that China will submissively swallow US decisions that prey on its core interests, they are misjudging the situation.

As such, Washington should refrain from any words or deeds that encourage violent crimes and incite separatist activities.