China promises countermeasures to US sanctions against its companies

Photographer: Qilai Shen / Bloomberg

China threatened to impose countermeasures after Washington decided to Blacklist of more than 60 Chinese companies, a sign that tensions between the world’s two largest economies could escalate further in the final days of Donald Trump’s presidency.

The United States has “abused” export controls to suppress businesses, institutions and individuals in other countries, The Commerce Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

The U.S. Department of Commerce cited national security and human rights violations as the reasons for Chinese companies being blacklisted in an announcement on Friday. Shanghai based chip maker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. and the Shenzhen-based drone giant SZ DJI Technology Co. was among the companies that were sanctioned.

“Such measures have seriously damaged the international economic and trade order and the rules of free trade, as well as the security of the global supply chain,” said China’s Ministry of Commerce.

DJI, the world’s largest drone maker, said it was “disappointed ”from the blacklist but will not prevent US customers from purchasing its products. Being on the list prevents companies from accessing American technology from software to circuits.

– With the help of Edwin Chan and Yuan Gao