US Imposes Sanctions on 37 Chinese Entities

On Thursday, the United States added 37 Chinese entities to its trade blacklist, including affiliated companies suspected of being linked to a Chinese balloon believed to be for espionage purposes flying over US territory in early 2023.

The US Department of Commerce stated that it also targets those seeking American products to enhance China's technological capabilities, emphasizing that these activities have significant military applications and pose a significant threat to US national security.

Companies added to the entity list are barred from accessing American items and technology without government permission.

The Commerce Department further noted that some targeted entities are also associated with China's nuclear programs or involved in shipping controlled materials to Russia following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Alan Estevez, Deputy Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security, emphasized in the statement that his country must remain vigilant in its efforts to prevent entities like these from accessing US technologies that could be used in ways harmful to national security.

In February 2023, the Commerce Department added 6 Chinese entities to the trade restrictions list following the balloon incident.

The balloon traversed the United States from west to east, from Alaska to North Carolina, from late January to early February 2023, flying over strategic military installations.

The balloon crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on February 4th, and the US Army retrieved its wreckage and examined its contents.

The incident led to a cooling in relations between Beijing and Washington. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a long-planned trip to China.

Washington affirmed that the balloon was for espionage purposes, a claim denied by Beijing, which asserted that it unintentionally drifted into US airspace.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated in January that the United States and China should coexist peacefully and overcome their differences, as they did when they established diplomatic relations 45 years ago, urging Washington to cease using the big stick of severe sanctions.