Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said according to The Associated Press, U.S. diplomatic passport holders visiting Hong Kong and nearby Macao will temporarily no longer be permitted to enter without a visa.

Hua added that "reciprocal sanctions" apply to officials of the U.S. administration, congressional staff, NGO staff, and their immediate family members.

This comes after the State Department announced last week that certain Chinese and Hong Kong officials would bar travel and financial transactions in the U.S. in response to their roles in implementing a National Security Law that led to a crackdown on Hong Kong opposition groups.

Hua argued that China's new restrictions came "given that the U.S. side is using the Hong Kong issue to seriously intervene with China's internal affairs and weaken China's core interests," adding that the AP reported that those sanctioned "have behaved egregiously and are mainly responsible for the Hong Kong issue.

"Again, China urges the U.S. side to stop immediately interfering with Hong Kong affairs, stop interfering with Chinese internal affairs, and not go further down the wrong and dangerous path," added the spokesman.

On Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced visa restrictions targeting officials of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and individuals active in the United Front Work Department.

In his quote, the Secretary said "The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has long sought to spread the Marxist-Leninist ideology and exert its influence around the world."

The announcement by Pompeo followed a story in The New York Times that Chinese officials' visa restrictions were being reduced from 10-year entry visas to one-month, single-entry passes.

Responding to the Times report, the Chinese Foreign Ministry called the restrictions an "escalation of political suppression" and focused on "extremist anti-China forces in the United States" acting "out of strong ideological bias and deep-seated mentality of the Cold War."

Pompeo announced on Monday that the State Department would approve 14 vice-chairs of Beijing's top legislature, China's National People's Congress, marking them as specially designated nationals.

The step, which came in response to the crackdown by Beijing on Hong Kong opposition lawmakers, bars travel to the U.S. for officials and their immediate families.

The fines also freeze any assets they possess in the U.S. and prohibit the contact of American people with individuals and their assets.