China, responding to sanctions report, says U.S. should stop interfering in Hong Kong

BEIJING - China said on Friday that it opposed the United States interfering in Hong Kong affairs, in response to a Reuters report that Washington was prepared to impose sanctions on Chinese officials and warn companies over Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is China's, and the United States should stop interfering in any form, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular news briefing in Beijing.

The United States is preparing to impose sanctions on Friday on a number of Chinese officials over Beijing's crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong, as well as issuing a warning to international businesses operating there about deteriorating conditions, two people with knowledge of the situation told Reuters.