China strongly condemns U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's meddling in China's Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) and Taiwan affairs and firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwan, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a press briefing on Thursday.

Hua said Pompeo has made irresponsible comments about the HKSAR's arrest of 53 people on suspicion of committing crimes, including subversion under China's national security law.

According to media reports on Thursday, Pompeo threatened sanctions against the individuals and organizations involved in the arrest.

The U.S. Secretary of State also said U.S. Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft will visit Taiwan, a Reuters report said.

Hua said, the U.S.' move gravely violated the basic norms governing international relations, the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. Joint Communiques.

China firmly opposes anyone interfering in the rule of law in the HKSAR in any form and urges the U.S. to immediately stop its interference in China's internal affairs, Hua said, adding that China will take every measure to safeguard its sovereign interests.