Certification Act, if the trade offices fail to comply with the provisions, they will have to shut down within 180 days after the certification is delivered to Congress.

Hong Kong's government on Wednesday said the US House of Representatives twisted facts in an attack on the city as it passed a bill that could close its representative offices in America, while Beijing threatened to take countermeasures if they are shuttered.

Republican-led measure cutting Homeland Security funds for schools follows efforts to decouple Sino-American cooperation in education The Republican-led US House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to advance legislation that could close Hong Kong's diplomatic offices in the country and significantly curb Sino-American academic exchange.