The Biden administration on Friday added six Chinese entities connected to Beijing’s suspected surveillance balloon program to an export blacklist.
The new restrictions come after the White House said it would consider broader efforts to “expose and address” China’s larger surveillance activities that threaten U.S. national security and allies.
The Commerce Department said the five companies and one research institute were supporting “China’s military modernization efforts, specifically the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) aerospace programs including airships and balloons.”
The spectacle of the Chinese balloon drifting over the United States last week caused political outrage in Washington and brought into sharp focus the challenge that China posed to the United States and its allies.
It prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a trip to Beijing that both countries had hoped would patch up frayed relations.
Being added to the entity list makes it hard for targeted companies to obtain U.S. tech exports. Both U.S. President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump have used the list to punish Chinese companies viewed as a threat to national security and keep Beijing from advancing militarily.
Discover more from News Facts Network
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
