US adds new Chinese firms to trade blacklist

The United States has added 37 companies to a trade blacklist on Thursday, including affiliates of Chinese genetics company BGI, Chinese cloud computing firm Inspur, and other 26 Chinese firms.

Companies included on this list face restrictions related to importing American technology. BGI was accused of executing monitoring and surveillance activities for Beijing, which was used afterwards to oppress ethnic minorities, according to the statement the U.S. Department of Commerce issued.

Inspur Group, on the other hand, was accused by the U.S. Department of Commerce of supporting Chinese efforts of military modernisation through attempting to acquire American goods.

Matthew Axelrod, assistant secretary for Export Enforcement justified: “we can not allow our adversaries to misuse and abuse technology to commit human rights abuses and other acts of oppression.”

Assistant Commerce Secretary Thea Kendler also elaborated that this list is used as a reference for entities which poses “a national security or foreign policy concern for the United States.”

In response, Chinese Foreign Minister spokeswoman Mao Ning on Friday harshly criticised the measurement introduced by Biden’s administration; saying it is “fabricating excuses to suppress Chinese companies.”

The companies added to the trade blacklist included also three companies from Myanmar, four companies from Pakistan, one from Russia, and two others from Belarus and Taiwan.