“China has no choice but to take necessary countermeasures…, including strengthening controls on the export of drones, as well as their key components and technology, to the US,” a Ministry of Commerce spokesperson stated.
The ministry reported that the measure affects drones, components and technologies included in the national list of dual-use goods, whose export to the United States will be subject to an individualized and more rigorous examination, without the possibility of benefiting from simplified licensing procedures.
The decision came into force immediately, justified by the Export Control Law and the regulations on dual-use products. China assured that this measure responds to the need to “safeguard national security and interests” and comply with China's international obligations on non-proliferation.
Beijing also announced the suspension of follow-up factory inspections by Chinese certification bodies, the blacklisting of American compliance testing companies and the initiation of national security investigations into imports of office printers and copiers, according to the ministry.
Sanctions on six US companies
Additionally, China imposed sanctions on six US companies, including biotechnology company Applied DNA Sciences and geoscience research firm Stratum Reservoir, prohibiting organizations and individuals within China from “transacting, cooperating or carrying out other activities with them.”
The six entities "have aided and abetted illegal US sanctions related to Xinjiang; the nature of their actions is blatant," the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said. The UN has warned of possible crimes against humanity in the Xinjiang region against the Muslim-majority Uyghur minority; accusations that China strongly denies.
The Chinese announcement comes days after the United States imposed new tariffs on China and 59 other countries, adding to a series of recent trade measures. The US actions “seriously harm China's legitimate rights and interests,” the Asian giant's spokesperson said.
Pressure on the US technology sector
With this, China increases pressure on the US technology sector, after, on June 22, Beijing included ten US companies linked to the defense, drones, aerospace technology and rare earths sectors on its export control list, prohibiting Chinese companies from supplying them with dual-use goods.
That same day, the Ministry of Finance also announced restrictions on public procurement of products from 46 American companies, including aeronautics, military systems, drones and defense manufacturers, in a new round of trade retaliation between both countries.
Last week, China also accused the United States of trying to "suppress" Chinese companies, after Washington banned imports of foreign-made humanoid and quadruped robots, in a move separate from the new tariffs.
Export controls, Beijing's key tool
Export controls have become one of Beijing's main response tools against the restrictions imposed by Washington on Chinese companies' access to advanced technologies.
China occupies a dominant position in the world market for civil drones thanks to manufacturers such as DJI, a global leader in the sector, while the Government considers this industry a strategic area both for its commercial applications and for its potential military and technological use.
However, the latest US tariffs against China and other trading partners have put that truce in jeopardy, and Beijing has warned Washington not to start a trade war.
