U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping before a meeting during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Week in Woodside, California, November 15, 2023.
Brendan Smialowski | Afp | Getty Images
China said on Sunday that it “firmly rejects” the US decision to put several Chinese companies on Russia’s export control list in an effort to further restrict Russia’s access to sophisticated US technology needed to produce its weapons.
In a statement carried by state media Xinhua, a spokesman for China’s Ministry of Commerce described the move as “a typical act of unilateral sanctions and sweeping jurisdiction.”
The spokesman also said the law “undermines international trade order and rules” and affects the “security and stability of global industry and supply chains.” The spokesman said Beijing will take measures to protect the rights and interests of Chinese companies.
The United States announced on Friday that it was tightening its export controls to “further restrict the supply of American-origin and U.S.-branded goods to Russia and Belarus for the Kremlin’s illegal war against Ukraine.”
A total of 123 companies were added to the list, including 42 based in China, 63 from Russia and 14 from Turkey, Iran and Cyprus.
Companies on the Entity List are subject to export restrictions and licensing requirements for certain technologies and goods.
“We will continue our multilateral approach to address this issue from all sides and use every tool in our arsenal to prevent Russia from gaining access to the advanced U.S. technology needed for its weapons,” Alan Estevez, undersecretary of Commerce, said in a statement.
The US has also targeted shell company diversion, adding four “high-risk diversion addresses” in Hong Kong and Turkey to the Entity List. Parties using these addresses for transactions will need a license to do so.
In February, the Biden administration imposed trade restrictions on 93 companies from Russia, China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan, India and South Korea over allegations that they supported Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
In April, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative launched an investigation into China’s shipping, logistics and shipbuilding industries, accusing Beijing of using “unfair, non-market policies and practices” to dominate these sectors.
