Hong Kong is excluded from sanctions or tariffs that the U.S. placed on the Mainland as a special status. However, the new laws signed recently by U.S. President Donald Trump could change that. CGTN's Gerald Tan takes a look at their implications.

China has strongly condemned the United States for interfering in its internal affairs, saying it will oppose any act that challenges its "one country, two systems" principle on Hong Kong. At the heart of the dispute are two pieces of legislation.

The first is the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. It requires the U.S. to impose sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for alleged human rights violations. It also requires the State Department to review Hong Kong's preferential trade status every year.

The 100-member U.S. Senate passed the act unanimously. While the House of Representatives passed it 417 to one.

The second measure is the Protect Hong Kong Act, which bans the sale of crowd-control items, such as tear gas and rubber bullets to Hong Kong police.

Unanimous approval from Senate, and in the House. A rare SHOW of bipartisan support, which also made the bills veto-proof.

After delaying for a week what seemed the inevitable, President Donald Trump signed the bills into law on Wednesday. 

The political fallout has been quick, Beijing pushing back and warning that any consequences are the fault of Washington alone. Crucially, the new laws complicate ongoing negotiations to finalize a trade deal, what had seemed within arm's reach, now thrown into doubt.