China has summoned the US ambassador in Beijing to lodge a protest as it accuses Washington of interference over Hong Kong.

Beijing says the US has obstructed its development by its recent steps to sanction officials who undermine local autonomy in Hong Kong.

Vice foreign minister Zheng Zeguang told ambassador Terry Branstad that threatened sanctions and the withdrawal of special trading privileges for Hong Kong are not about democracy and freedom in the semi-autonomous territory but an attempt to contain China’s development.