US puts 3 dozen more Chinese companies on trade blacklist
Associated PressBANGKOK — The U.S. Department of Commerce is adding 36 Chinese high-tech companies, including makers of aviation equipment, chemicals and computer chips, to an export controls blacklist, citing concerns over national security, U.S. interests and human rights. Yangtze Memory Technology Co., a computer chip maker based in the central city of Wuhan, and its Japan unit were included in the list for “posing a significant risk of becoming involved in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States,” according to the document. Late last month, the U.S. banned the sale of communications equipment made by Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE and restricting the use of some China-made video surveillance systems, including Hangzhou Hikvision, citing an “unacceptable risk” to national security. However, when asked Wednesday about reports that Washington was planning to change the trade blacklist to include more than 30 companies including Yangtze Memory Technologies, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the U.S. was “stretching the concept of national security, abusing export control measures, engaging in discriminatory and unfair treatment against enterprises of other countries, and politicizing and weaponizing economic and sci-tech issues.” “This is blatant economic coercion and bullying in the field of technology,” Wang said, adding that it also undermined regular business activities.