Hong Kong protests

Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong said the security law will be "the death of freedom in Hong Kong."

Justice minister Teresa Cheng said the basis for Trump's actions was "completely false and wrong," saying the need for national security laws were legal and necessary.

Pressed if this would include sanctions, he said: "No it's something you're going to be hearing about ... before the end of the week, very powerfully I think."

The arrests on Saturday were the biggest crackdown on the city's pro-democracy movement since the outbreak of mass protests last year.

"They are doing whatever they can to try to silence, to take down, the local opposition."

Beijing has previously criticized HRW over its investigations on surveillance technology and re-education camps in Xinjiang

Locals say it pushes up prices, overcrowds neighborhoods and adds to growing tensions between Hong Kong residents and mainland Chinese.

On New Year's Day, tens of thousands are expected to join a major pro-democracy march, after it received police approval to proceed, with organizers hoping to sustain the protest movement's momentum.

Police have been criticized for not responding quickly enough to calls for help, and for not arresting any alleged culprits at the scene.

The treaty signed on Dec. 19, 1984 pledged that Hong Kong’s high-degree of autonomy would be unchanged for 50 years after the former British colony was handed back to China in 1997.