Washington Restricts US Exports to 28 Chinese Entities, Citing Alleged Ties to Iranian Military

The seal of the Department of Commerce is pictured in Washington, on March 10, 2017. Eric Thayer/Reuters

The U.S. Commerce Department on March 2 announced export restrictions for a string of Chinese entities.

The United States added 28 Chinese firms and individuals to its Entity List (pdf), citing concerns regarding national security risks, including through their alleged dealings or attempted dealings with an Iranian electronics company, Paradazan System Namad Arman (PASNA), which has been sanctioned by the United States for its alleged ties to Tehran’s military.

“These actions include acquiring or attempting to acquire U.S.-origin items in support of programs for the People’s Liberation Army and providing goods and services to customers on the BIS Entity List, leading to the possibility for diversion,” the department said.

BIS is the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security.

In response, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning called on Washington to “stop abusing various excuses to unreasonably suppress Chinese enterprises.”

Mao said Beijing would “firmly safeguard the legitimate rights” of its companies but didn’t elaborate further on what actions Beijing might take.

China Surveillance

Other security threats cited by the Commerce Department include alleged contributions to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program and surveillance equipment to Burma’s military regime, which has been sanctioned, enabling it to “carry out human rights abuses through the tracking and identification of target individuals and groups.”

U.S. companies are banned from exporting goods to the listed entities without first gaining prior government approval, effective March 2.

The entities listed include server maker Inspur Group Co. AI tech firm 4Paradigm Technology Co, Loongson Technology, National Research Center for Parallel Computer Engineering and Technology, Qingdao National Laboratory of Marine Science and Technology, Wuxi Institute of Advanced Technology, and several other electronics firms.

They also include Chinese genetics company BGI Research and biotechnology company BGI Tech Solutions Co., which the department says is based “upon information that indicates their collection and analysis of genetic data poses a significant risk of contributing to monitoring and surveillance by the government of China, which has been utilized in the repression of ethnic minorities in China.”

BGI has previously denied accusations it provided technology used for surveillance of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in China’s northwest.

The Epoch Times has contacted BGI for comment.

Relations Tense Between Washington, Beijing

The move comes amid increasingly frail relations between Washington and Beijing following the downing of the Chinese surveillance balloon last month. The balloon was shot down on Feb. 4 by the Air Force the next day off the coast of South Carolina.

China denies it was being used for surveillance.

However, amid a crackdown on alleged Chinese surveillance, the House Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this week voted to advance a bill that would empower President Joe Biden to ban TikTok, the Chinese-owned video-sharing app, in the United States.

Experts believe the app can be used by the Chinese Communist Party to spy on Americans or to promote pro-China influence campaigns or disinformation. TikTok’s owner ByteDance denies this.

Elsewhere, tensions between the United States and China have been further exacerbated amid Beijing’s pledge for a deeper “comprehensive strategic partnership” with Russia last month during Chinese diplomat, Wang Yi’s visit to the Kremlin.

During a United Nations General Assembly on Feb. 23, China was among a handful of nations to vote against a resolution calling on Russian troops to immediately withdraw from Ukraine.

Chinese communist leader Xi Jinping is also set to visit Moscow in the coming months, Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.