Trump Hong Kong Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong on Thursday gathered to thank President Donald Trump for signing a law in support of their demonstrations, the Washington Post reported.

The demonstrators held up images of Trump’s head superimposed over Sylvester Stallone’s body as the fictional boxer Rocky Balboa, which the president had tweeted earlier in the week.

The Chinese government is livid that Trump signed the bill, which authorizes sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials for human rights abuses.

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As Americans celebrated Thanksgiving and President Donald Trump visited with US troops in Afghanistan, pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong gave thanks to Trump for signing a law in support of their movement.

The protesters held up images of Trump’s head superimposed over Sylvester Stallone’s body as the fictional boxer Rocky Balboa, the Washington Post reported. Trump had caused a stir online earlier in the week after tweeting the image.

The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act was passed overwhelmingly in both chambers of Congress, and Trump signed it into law on Wednesday. The bill authorizes sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials for human rights abuses. It also mandates an annual review by the State Department on Hong Kong’s special trade status with the US.

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The American flag waves and the National Anthem plays in the streets of Hong Kong as pro-democracy protesters celebrated Pres. Trump’s signing of a law supporting their months-long movement. https://t.co/yBUTE8q400 pic.twitter.com/cT10oc8sVw Tweet Embed:

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Pro-democracy protesters at rally in Hong Kong after Trump signed legislation backing them (?: Getty) pic.twitter.com/pqbnoZwWVk

Prior to signing the bill, Trump had faced widespread criticism in Washington in recent months for not offering a more forceful defense of the Hong Kong demonstrators amid fears that a Tiananmen-style military crackdown could be on the horizon. Trump last week signaled he might veto the bill as he seeks to end the ongoing trade war with China, but that likely would’ve resulted in the first successful congressional veto override of his presidency.

In signing the bill, Trump placed US-China trade talks in jeopardy and enraged the Chinese government. In a statement, China’s Foreign Ministry said the bill „seriously interfered with Hong Kong affairs, seriously interfered with China’s internal affairs, and seriously violated international law and basic norms of international relations.“