China will impose visa restrictions on Americans who “behave badly” on Hong Kong issues, Beijing has announced in a tit-for-tat response to Washington’s decision to limit visas for Chinese officials accused of infringing the freedoms of Hong Kong people.

On Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters at a regular briefing that the legislation of a national security law for Hong Kong was purely an internal affair of China and foreign countries had no right to interfere.

“The United States plot to use so-called sanctions to block China from pushing forward a national security law for Hong Kong will not succeed,” Zhao said. Asked about the targets of the visa curbs, he said: “Those who are relevant would know clearly who they are.”

Zhao’s reference to U.S. sanctions concerned the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, which had been passed by the U.S. Senate and could mean tougher sanctions for Chinese officials than existing laws would allow.

He said the Hong Kong Autonomy Act violated international laws and principles of international relations, and that Beijing had lodged stern representations with Washington.

In a speech last week, U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien equated Chinese President Xi Jinping to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, among other criticisms of China. Zhao condemned the speech as being full of lies.

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