US President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday added five companies in China to a trade blacklist for allegedly supporting Russia’s military and defense industrial base, flexing its muscle to enforce sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
The US Department of Commerce, which oversees the blacklist, said that the targeted companies had supplied items to Russian “entities of concern” before the Feb. 24 invasion, adding that they “continue to contract to supply Russian entity listed and sanctioned parties.”
The agency also added another 31 entities to the blacklist from states that include Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Lithuania, Pakistan, Singapore, the UK, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, the US Federal Register entry showed.
Of the 36 total companies added, 25 had China-based operations.
“Today’s action sends a powerful message to entities and individuals across the globe that if they seek to support Russia, the United States will cut them off as well,” US Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez said in a statement.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to the allegations against the companies, but said that Beijing had not provided military assistance to Russia or Ukraine.
It said it would take “necessary measures” to protect the rights of its companies, adding that the sanctions contravene international law.
Three of the companies in China accused of aiding the Russian military, Connec Electronic Ltd, Hong Kong-based World Jetta and Logistics Ltd (世捷達物流) and Sinno Electronics Co Ltd (信諾電子), could not be reached for comment.
The other two, King Pai Technology Co Ltd (金派科技) and Winninc Electronic Co Ltd (維科電子) did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Hong Kong is considered part of China for purposes of US export controls since Beijing’s crackdown on the territory’s autonomy.
The firms’ blacklisting means that their US suppliers need a license from the department before they can ship items to them.
The US has set out with allies to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for the invasion, which Moscow calls a “special operation,” by sanctioning a raft of Russian companies and oligarchs, and adding others to a trade blacklist.
While US officials had previously said that China was generally complying with the restrictions, Washington has vowed to closely monitor compliance and rigorously enforce the regulations.
“We will not hesitate to act, regardless of where a party is located, if they are violating US law,” US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration Thea Rozman Kendler said in the statement.
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