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China had undermined Hong Kong's autonomy so fundamentally, Pompeo said, that he could not support its recertification for its special status.
China's plan for new security legislation triggered protests in the territory. Hong Kong police made 360 arrests on Wednesday as thousands of people protested against the bill.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, pictured, said it was "clear that China is modelling Hong Kong after itself".Credit:AP
Late into the evening, protesters were still cramming sidewalks, chanting for full democracy and for Hong Kong to seek independence from China, saying this is now "the only way out".
In the heart of the financial district, riot police used pellets to disperse a crowd. Elsewhere police rounded up groups of suspected protesters, making them wait on footpaths to search their belongings.
Riot police detain pro-democracy protesters during a rally in Hong Kong's Causeway Bay district on Wednesday. Credit:Getty Images
Pompeo said the city no longer warranted treatment under US laws "in the same manner as US laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1997", when Britain ended its administration of the territory
"It is now clear that China is modelling Hong Kong after itself," Pompeo said.
The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act approved by President Donald Trump last year requires the State Department to certify at least annually that the city retains enough autonomy to justify the favourable trading terms that have helped it remain a world financial centre.
It now falls to Trump to decide to end some, all or none of the US economic privileges the territory enjoys.
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Trump has a long list of possible responses, including visa and economic sanctions, David Stilwell, the US State Department's assistant secretary for East Asia, told reporters.
People familiar with the matter told Reuters the Trump administration was considering suspending Hong Kong's preferential tariff rates for exports to the US as part of its response.
Trump could also opt for targeted sanctions against Chinese officials, government entities and businesses involved in enforcing the new legislation, according one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Trump, already at odds with Beijing over trade and the coronavirus pandemic, had said on Tuesday Washington was working on a strong response that would be announced before the end of the week.
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The United States, the European Union, Britain and others have expressed concern about the legislation, widely seen as a possible turning point for China's freest city.
Specifics of Hong Kong's security bill remain unclear and will not be enacted until later. It is meant to tackle secession, subversion and terrorism after major unrest last year and could see Chinese intelligence agencies set up bases in the territory.
Asked to comment on Pompeo's statement, China's embassy in Washington repeated past statements from Beijing and Hong Kong's Beijing-backed government that the security law was no threat to the city's high degree of autonomy and will be tightly focused.
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"As for foreign meddling in Hong Kong affairs, we will take necessary countermeasures in response," it said, echoing previous Chinese statements.
A heavy police presence around Hong Kong's Legislative Council on Wednesday deterred protesters from disrupting debate of a bill that would criminalise disrespect of the Chinese national anthem. That is expected to become law next month.
Reuters