The US should suspend Hong Kong's special legal status in the event that China deploys its armed forces to intervene in Hong Kong, a congressional body recommended in an annual report released yesterday.

"The future direction of Hong Kong - and with it US-Hong Kong policy - will rest upon the outcome of the anti-extradition Bill protest movement and the extent to which the Hong Kong government and Beijing respect the aspirations of Hong Kong citizens," said the US-China Economic Security and Review Commission, which monitors the national security implications of America's ties with China.