The US on Wednesday identified eight Chinese firms, a Chinese national and an Indian man who are under sanction for allegedly helping Iran or Iraq acquire weapons of mass destruction.
The companies and individuals were sanctioned "for knowingly and materially contributing, through the transfer of goods or technology, to the effort of Iran or Iraq to acquire chemical weapons or ... advanced conventional weapons," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.
The sanctions come under two laws, the Iran-Iraq Non-Proliferation Act of 1992 and the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991.
Under the laws, those sanctioned are barred from doing business with the US government or US companies for at least two years.
"The sanctions were imposed on specific named persons or entities, and do not extend or apply to the Chinese or Indian governments," Boucher said.
Boucher had announced on July 19 that sanctions were being imposed but declined at the time to disclose the nationalities involved and offered few details.
"The US government's accusation is absolutely fabricated," said a manager at Jiangsu Yongli Chemicals and Technology Import and Export Corp who wouldn't give his name. He said the company hadn't dealt with Iran or Iraq in "a long time" and sold them only nonmilitary goods.
A spokesman for another company, CMEC Machinery and Electric Equipment Import and Export Co Ltd, also denied the accusations.
"We have never had weapons-related business with the Middle East," said the spokesman, who wouldn't give his name. He said the company was the same entity as another firm cited -- CMEC Machinery and Electrical Import Export Co.
A third company cited, China Shipbuilding Trading Co, said it had no immediate statement. But a manager there who wouldn't give his name complained that the US government "exaggerated the facts."
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