Beijing's first sanctions against the US after Washington's support for the Hong Kong protest

BEIJING – Beijing had promised "firm counter-measures" against the United States after the law in support of the Hong Kong protest approved last week. From words to deeds, today the first concrete decisions have arrived. China will stop authorizing, for an indefinite period, the landing of ships and the landing of American military aircraft in the former British colony.Moreover, China will sanction a series of non-governmental organizations guilty, according to China, of encouraging protesters to undertake "extremist, violent and criminal acts". These include the National Endowment for Democracy, accused by the regime media of maneuvering and financing the alleged leaders of the movement, the International Republican Institute, Human Rights Watch and Freedom House.
Measures all in all light, considering that these NGOs cannot already operate on the territory of mainland China and that the visit of American ships in the "scented harbor" is a maneuver with a symbolic value rather than a strategic one. But Beijing warns that it might not end here: "We urge the United States to correct the errors and stop interfering in our internal affairs – a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry added – if necessary China will take new steps to support stability and prosperity of Hong Kong and Chinese sovereignty ".

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"Now it's time to change." The Hong Kong boys who defeated China

from our correspondent FILIPPO SANTELLI

To have unleashed the retaliations of the People's Republic are two laws in support of the protesters signed last week by Donald Trump after being approved by bipartisan vote (unanimously, minus one vote) from the Congress. The main one, theHong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, provides that the privileged commercial status granted to the city is linked to an annual review of the actual degree of autonomy guaranteed by the Chinese central government. It also provides for sanctions for officials, local or central, responsible for human rights violations. The second law, on the other hand, blocks the sale of weapons for public order to the Hong Kong police, such as tear gas or rubber bullets.

The American intervention was loudly demanded by some prominent Hong Kong activists, such as the young leader of the Umbrella Movement Joshua Wong, and was greeted by a crowd on the streets on Thanksgiving waving stars and stripes. Others warned instead about the risks of linking the fate of Hong Kong to the tug of war between the two superpowers, given that Trump's main interest, by his own admission, is to close the trade agreement with Xi Jinping who has been working for months. According to what Axios writes, the approval of the Hong Kong law, to which the American president was forced under the pressure of Congress, would have blocked the negotiations on duties. The dialogue is not interrupted, only suspended waiting for the situation to calm down, but at this point the time to reach a first agreement (the "Phase one") is likely to lengthen.

However, Beijing's reaction also affects Italy. After the Skype intervention by Joshua Wong in the Senate of Rome, the harsh criticism of the Chinese embassy and the reply of our government, now a group of parliamentarians from various parties is filing the text of a resolution in support of Hong Kong. This is not a binding rule, only a guideline document, but it would commit the government to take a position on the protests, even supporting the creation of a commission of inquiry into the work of the police, one of the five demands of the protesters. Beijing's reaction would be taken for granted.

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Hong Kong, Trump's insult to Xi

of FEDERICO RAMPINI

Meanwhile, after several days of tranquility straddling the district elections, with the great victory of the democratic camp, mass demonstrations and clashes have returned during the weekend in Hong Kong. On Sunday, an authorized march attended by thousands of people degenerated into roadblocks and throwing objects at the police, which intervened with tear gas and charges.