Protesters seek the support of the United States to protect liberties in Hong Kong.

Responding to China's protest related to the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, a US State Department spokeswoman said Hong Kong's autonomy, its adherence to the rule of law and its commitment to protecting civil liberties were "key to preserving its special status under U.S. law.''

“As the United States Government has said repeatedly, the Chinese Communist Party must honor its promises to the Hong Kong people, who only want the freedoms and liberties that they have been promised in the Sino-British Joint Declaration, a

U.N.-filed treaty," the spokeswoman said.

The Joint Declaration is the 1984 agreement of the terms under which Britain would return Hong Kong to China on July 1, 1997, and included the promise of a "high degree of autonomy" for Hong Kong for 50 years from that date.