President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has signed off on an executive order stripping Hong Kong of its special status under US law amid fierce tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Axar.az reports citing foreign media.

"Hong Kong will now be treated the same as mainland China -- no special privileges, no special economic treatment, and no export of sensitive technologies," Trump told reporters during a Rose Garden news conference.

Trump also said he signed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, which previously passed Congress and mandates sanctions on entities that violate China's obligations under the treaty which passed the semi-autonomous territory from British control to China. It further mandates the administration to impose sanctions on banks that do business with any individual who is designated under the act.

The actions are being taken over China's decision to apply a controversial security law to Hong Kong.