China hits back at US with barrage of sanctions, drone industry curbs
Beijing frames the measures as a ‘restrained’ response to the US’ recent sanctions and robot import ban, but warns of potential further actions
China has hit back against a round of US sanctions with a barrage of counter-sanctions targeting a group of American entities and a tightening of export restrictions on the drone supply chain, the Ministry of Commerce announced on Wednesday.
The export controls will subject any shipments of “drones, their key components and related technologies” to the US to “strict case-by-case scrutiny”, with the measures set to take effect immediately, the ministry said in a statement, citing the need to “safeguard national security and meet China’s international commitments on non-proliferation”.
On the same day, the commerce ministry also added six US entities to its countermeasures list – banning Chinese entities and individuals from cooperating with them – over allegations that they had assisted US sanctions related to China’s western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, describing their conduct as “egregious”.
A seventh US company, Compliance Testing LLC, was added to the countermeasures list for assisting the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in introducing measures that “endanger China’s sovereignty, security and development interests”.
Separately, the commerce ministry launched a national security investigation regarding imported printing and copying office equipment with foreign-made software. US tech firms – such as Microsoft and HP – are seen as major players in the printing software sector.
The inquiry is the first to be launched using the new national security provisions laid out in China’s revised foreign trade law, according to the commerce ministry, adding the investigation would cover the effect of foreign government policies on China’s security interests.