Beijing slams US as 42 more Chinese firms added to export blacklist for aiding Russia’s ‘unlawful war in Ukraine’
- Commerce Department says the businesses support Russia by supplying microelectronics that can be used for missile and drone guidance systems
- Beijing has strongly opposed the move, calling it ‘a typical act of economic coercion and unilateral bullying’
The companies, which include semiconductor industry players in Hong Kong and mainland China, are accused of supplying importers connected to the Russian military sector with US-origin integrated circuits after March 1, 2023.
Russia relies on microelectronics for precision guidance systems in its missiles and drones, the department said.
Seven other entities – from Britain, Estonia, Finland, Germany, India, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates – were also added to the blacklist.
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US warns China of ‘serious consequences’ if it supplies weapons to Russia for Ukraine war
“No matter how convoluted the trail may be or how many hands items are passing through, if US-origin items are finding their way to Russia’s military, we will work tirelessly to stop it,” industry and security undersecretary Alan Estevez was quoted as saying in a statement from the department.
The companies added on Friday produce circuits identified in “Tier 1” of the Common High Priority Items List developed by the US, European Union, Britain and Japan. The list covers “items of the highest concern” because of their role in the production of advanced precision-guided weapons systems.
“Russia relies on these microelectronics for precision guidance systems in the missiles and drones it uses against civilian targets in its unlawful war in Ukraine,” the statement said.
Beijing said it strongly opposed the move, calling it “a typical act of economic coercion and unilateral bullying”.
“The US has generalised [the concept of] national security and abused export control measures, wilfully imposing unilateral sanctions and ‘long-arm jurisdiction’ on Chinese companies,” the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Saturday.
The ministry called on the US to “immediately correct its wrong practices and stop its unreasonable suppression of Chinese companies”, adding that China would take “all necessary measures to firmly defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies”.
Of the 42 Chinese companies added to the trade blacklist, 35 have offices in Hong Kong or neighbouring Shenzhen. The affected companies also have a presence in other major cities including Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Xian.
US companies are barred from selling to companies on the department’s “entity list” unless exporters secure a licence from the US government.
US hits Chinese and Russian firms over Moscow military aid
Friday’s announcement came a day after a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian village of Hroza, one of the deadliest assaults on civilians since the war started some 19 months ago.
It also came as the US and China were potentially moving closer to setting up a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next month.
Xi has not yet committed to attend, but on Thursday, Bloomberg reported that delegations from both countries had been scouting meeting sites in San Francisco, where the conference will take place.
China exhibition shows latest military advances in drone technology
Additional reporting by Vanessa Cai
