The Bush administration announced new sanctions on Tuesday against state-owned Chinese companies that it accused of aiding Iran's missile and chemical programs, insisting that Beijing cut off the trade at a time when US President George W. Bush is trying to persuade China's leaders to condemn Tehran's nuclear program.
The sanctions, announced by the State Department, are part of a diplomatically complex effort to cut off the flow of technology into Iran that could aid its weapons programs, while pressing both China and Russia to threaten action against Tehran at the UN Security Council.
Included in the latest sanctions, first reported on Tuesday by the Washington Times, are two firms closely tied to the Chinese military: the China North Industries Corp, known as Norinco, and the China Aero-Technology Import and Export Corp, or Catic, which is one of the country's largest producers of military aircraft.
Meanwhile, China's government yesterday demanded that the US lift sanctions imposed on the six companies.
The Chinese firms are barred from receiving US import licenses and from doing business with the US government.
"We express resolute opposition to the sanctions," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "We demand that the United States change this mistaken action."
The sanctions will have little practical effect on most of the nine companies named, including two Indian companies and one Austrian one that makes assault rifles and other small arms. The Chinese companies are already barred from doing business with the US.
But Adam Ereli, a State Department spokesman, called the move "an important and effective tool in constraining Iran's efforts to develop missile and WMD capabilities." He added, "It does have an impact, I think, particularly in alerting governments to activity taking place in their countries."
Administration officials said they had no evidence that President Hu Jintao (
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