China has retaliated against recent U.S. sanctions by imposing counter-sanctions on several American entities and tightening export controls on the drone supply chain, the Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday.
Under the new export rules, shipments of drones, essential components, and related technologies to the United States will face strict case-by-case reviews. The ministry said the restrictions, which took effect immediately, were intended to protect national security and fulfill China’s international non-proliferation obligations.
The ministry also added six U.S. entities to its countermeasures list, preventing Chinese companies and individuals from conducting business or cooperation with them over alleged involvement in U.S. sanctions.
The measures follow the U.S. decision to impose new tariffs on China and 59 other countries, escalating recent trade tensions.
A Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson said the U.S. actions had “seriously harmed China’s legitimate rights and interests.”
China’s countermeasures include suspending factory follow-up inspections by Chinese certification bodies, placing U.S. compliance testing firms on the blacklist, and launching national security reviews of imports of office printers and copiers.
The targeted companies include biotech firm Applied DNA Sciences and geoscience research company Stratum Reservoir, with Chinese entities and individuals prohibited from conducting related transactions or cooperation with them.
China’s top trade official, He Lifeng, conveyed ‘serious concern’ to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in a call regarding the latest restrictions, according to state news agency Xinhua. China also accused the United States of attempting to suppress Chinese companies after Washington separately banned imports of foreign-made humanoid and quadruped robots, alongside the new tariff measures.
The two countries had been engaged in prolonged trade tensions before reaching a truce following a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in October. However, the latest U.S. tariffs on China and other trading partners have raised concerns over renewed tensions, with Beijing warning against further escalation of the trade dispute.
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