The United States has sanctioned 34 companies for their links with China, Russia and Iran

The United States on Friday announced sanctions against 34 companies and other entities involved in China’s military and policy towards the Uyghur Muslim minority, and for facilitating exports to Russia and Iran.

The group was sanctioned “for your participation or risk of involvement in activities contrary to the foreign policy and national security interests of the United StatesThe Commerce Department said in a statement.

Of these 34 entities, 14 are based in the People’s Republic of China O “enabled Beijing to carry out a campaign of repression, mass detention and high-tech surveillance against Uyghurs, Kazakhs and members of other Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region“, He underlined in a press release.

The Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, expressed: “Commerce Department remains firmly committed to taking strong and decisive action attack entities that allow human rights violations in Xinjiang or that they use American technology to boost China’s destabilizing military modernization efforts. ”

“We will continue to aggressively use export controls to hold governments, businesses and individuals accountable for attempting to access American-sourced items for subversive activities in countries such as China, Iran and Russia that threaten the national security interests of the United States. And they are incompatible with our values“He added.

As part of the sanctions package – said the Ministry of Commerce – he added “Eight Entities to Facilitate the Export of U.S. Items to Iran in Violation of Export Administration Regulations“O”six others for their involvement in the acquisition of electronic components of American origin, probably in support of Russian military programs”.

Also, it added one entity to the military end-user list under Russia destination and removed another from the unverified list, as a change that this same entity was added to the entity list. for participating in the proliferation of unprotected nuclear power plants.

The United States on Thursday expressed concern over reports that China dramatically increases nuclear arsenal, and urged Beijing to start talks prevent an arms race. “It is in everyone’s interest for the nuclear powers to talk to each other directly about the reduction of nuclear risks and thus avoid calculation errorsSaid Robert Wood, Ambassador of the United States to the Geneva Disarmament Conference.

Last week the newspaper The Washington Post he referred a study of satellite images on which he indicated showed that 119 missile silos are being built in a desert near the city of Yumen (northwest China). According to this report, These silos are similar to China’s nuclear-warhead ballistic missile launch facilities known so far.

Wood said it was something of “great concern”. “Until China sits down at the table with the United States bilaterally, the risk of a devastating arms race will continue. increase, and it doesn’t benefit anyone, ”he said.

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