Key Takeaways
- China has announced restrictions on drone exports to the United States.
- Six US companies have been blacklisted by Beijing.
- The move comes after the US imposed new tariffs on China and other countries.
China has responded to recent trade sanctions imposed by the United States with a series of countermeasures, including restrictions on drone exports. The Chinese commerce ministry announced these measures in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The US actions have been described as 'seriously harming China’s legitimate rights and interests,' according to a spokesperson from the ministry. In response, Beijing has taken steps to strengthen export controls on drones, their key components, and technology destined for the United States.
Additional measures include suspending factory follow-up inspections by Chinese certification bodies, blacklisting US compliance testing companies, and launching national security investigations into imports of office printers and copiers. The ministry also imposed sanctions on six US businesses, including biotech company Applied DNA Sciences and geoscience research firm Stratum Reservoir.
The six entities have been accused of assisting and supporting illegal US sanctions related to the Xinjiang region, where China faces international criticism over human rights issues. The UN has warned of possible crimes against humanity in Xinjiang targeting the mostly Muslim Uyghur minority – a claim that Beijing vehemently denies.
China’s top trade official, He Lifeng, expressed ‘serious concern’ during a call with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer regarding recent restrictions. This comes after China accused the United States of seeking to 'suppress' Chinese companies following Washington's ban on imports of humanoid and quadruped robots manufactured abroad.
The latest US tariffs against China and other trade partners have threatened an uneasy truce that was reached last October when US President Donald Trump met with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. The two leaders had spent much of the previous year engaged in an escalating trade war.
Beijing has warned Washington against waging a trade war, emphasizing the need for mutual respect and cooperation in global economic relations.
