Hong Kong residents from all walks of life collect online signatures and hold a gathering on Sunday morning to show their support for the draft bill to safeguard the national security law to be implemented in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The legal agenda was announced on Thursday night. Photo: cnsphoto

China will take "necessary countermeasures" to firmly protect its national interests after the US' wrongful move to revoke the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's special status in a bid to pressure China to drop its new National Security Law, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a routine press conference on Tuesday.

"China is not afraid of US' threats and intimidation, and its attempts to block China's efforts to push ahead with the National Security Law for Hong Kong through sanctions are doomed to fail," Zhao said.

The comments followed US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross's announcement that the US would revoke Hong Kong's special status in a statement posted on the US Commerce Department's website on Monday (US time).

In a separate announcement, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US is ending "exports of US-origin defense equipment and will take steps toward imposing the same restrictions on US defense and dual-use technologies to Hong Kong."

Zhao said China has repeatedly stressed its position on the National Security Law for Hong Kong, and that it falls entirely under the umbrella of China's internal affairs and no country can intervene.

"China's determination to maintain national sovereignty, security and development interests remains unchanged, as does its determination to implement the 'one country, two systems' principle and oppose foreign powers' intervention in Hong Kong affairs," Zhao said.