China foreign ministry: Will take firm countermeasures to any new US sanctions

China's foreign ministry comments on reports that the US is preparing new sanctions on Chinese officials over Hong-Kong crackdown and said that they will take firm countermeasures to any new US sanctions. We firmly oppose and strongly condemn US interference if the report is true, the ministry added further.

The comments kept investors on the sidelines, which was evident from a softer tone surrounding the equity markets. In fact, the S&P 500 index futures was down around 0.22% or 8 points for the day and drove some haven flows towards the US Dollar.