Washington: China has reacted furiously to US President Donald Trump's signing of laws on Hong Kong human rights and says the US will bear the unspecified consequences.

A Foreign Ministry statement on Thursday repeated heated condemnations of the laws and said China would counteract. It said all the people of Hong Kong and China opposed the move.

Trump signed legislation designed to support pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong after previously suggesting he might veto the measure to pave the way for a trade deal with China.

US President Donald Trump is balancing support for democracy against support for a trade deal. Credit:AP

The legislation, with near-unanimous support in the House and Senate, authorises sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials involved in human rights abuses and requires the State Department to perform a new annual review of the special trade status that Washington grants Hong Kong.