Gold futures pared earlier losses Wednesday to finish off the session’s lows, as tensions between the U.S. and China worsened after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that Hong Kong is no longer considered autonomous from China. The announcement could pave the way for the Trump Administration to revoke special treatment for the Hong Kong economy, which is exempt from tariffs levied on Chinese imports. “Hong Kong is purely China’s internal affair,” China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in Beijing on Wednesday that China would take “necessary countermeasures” against any “interference” by ... (full story)