Beijing Opposes Pentagon Decision To Blacklist 4 Chinese Companies - Foreign Ministry

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th December, 2020) Beijing stands opposed to the US Department of Defense's decision to blacklist four Chinese companies, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Friday, adding that Washington should also stop putting "unreasonable" pressure on Chinese firms.

On Thursday evening, the Department of Defense announced that four Chinese legal entities would be blacklisted over their alleged links to the country's military. The companies on the list include oil giant China National Offshore Oil Corporation and the country's largest chipmaker, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, the Pentagon said.

"China has repeatedly expressed its official position [on this issue] and strongly opposes the unreasonable US pressure placed on Chinese companies.

US actions run counter to the principles of market competition and the rules of international trade. These actions will seriously damage the national interests and image of the United States," Hua said.

Chinese firms always operate in full compliance with international law, and the laws of countries in which they operate, the ministerial spokesperson added.

The US Department of Commerce this past August blacklisted 24 Chinese firms over their alleged role in building military fortifications in the South China Sea. Following allegations of human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang region in July, 11 Chinese entities were added to the US economic blacklist.