The US Commerce Department has added 77 entities, including 59 Chinese companies and 29 Chinese shipbuilding entities, to its sanctions list for national security reasons.
The latest sanctions follows the US blacklisting China Shipbuilding Group in August for its role in developing infrastructure in the contested areas of the South China Sea.
The US said that it has sanctioned entities in China that enable human rights abuses, entities that supported the militarization and unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea, entities that acquired US-origin items in support of the People’s Liberation Army’s programs, and entities and persons that engaged in the theft of US trade secrets.
The latest sanctions added 25 research institutes of China Shipbuilding Group while another four shipyards including CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding, Chongqing Chuandong Shipbuilding, Guangxin Shipbuilding and Heavy Industry, Guangzhou Taicheng Shipbuilding Industry have also been added to the list.
“The US side claims that it champions market economy and fair competition, but its politicization of trade issues goes against its words as well as international trade rules and is detrimental to the interests of both Chinese and American companies, the normal technological exchanges and trade flows between the two countries and even on a global scale, and the stability of global industrial chains, supply chains, and value chains. We urge the US side to stop its wrong behavior of oppression of foreign companies. China will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies,” Wang Wenbin, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson said in a press conference responding to the sanctions.
