US puts a dozen more Chinese companies on export blacklist

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China has warned the US of “countermeasures” a day after a dozen of the country’s tech firms were added to a Washington export blacklist over alleged national security and foreign policy concerns.

While the US defended its actions by saying that global trade and commerce should not support national security risks, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Thursday his country reserved the right to take countermeasures.

The Chinese companies are a part of 27 foreign entities and individuals that were added to the blacklist — called the Entity List — for allegedly engaging in activities “that are contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States,” according to the US Department of Commerce.

Gino Raimondo, the US secretary of commerce, said that apart from China, others were located in Japan, Pakistan and Singapore.

She said that some were added to the list to prevent the US’s own tech companies “from being used for the PRC’s quantum computing efforts that support military applications, such as counter-stealth and counter-submarine applications, and the ability to break encryption or develop unbreakable encryption”.

“Today’s action will also restrict exports to PRC [People’s Republic of China] producers of electronics that the support the People’s Liberation Army’s military modernisation efforts.”

Mr Liu rebuked the US because it did not “follow the spirit” of a virtual three-hour meeting between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping last week. He said the US should “meet China halfway instead of going further down the wrong path”.