China expressed its strong opposition to countries imposing unilateral sanctions on Chinese entities. The comments by a Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman were made in response to the latest U.S. restrictions on telecom giant Huawei Technologies Co.
The Chinese spokesman was reacting to the U.S. Commerce Department decision to add Huawei Technologies Co and 70 affiliates to its so-called “Entity List” in a move that bans the Chinese telecommunications giant from acquiring components and technology from U.S. firms without prior U.S. government approval.
Earlier President Donald Trump separately on Wednesday signed an executive order barring U.S. firms from using telecom equipment made by companies deemed to pose a national security risk.
Chinese people walk by a poster showing a Huawei logo in Beijing, China, 12 December 2018. Huawei is a Chinese communications technology company currently at the center of a trade dispute with the USA. Photo: EPA-EFE/WU HONG
The spokesman said that he United States should avoid further impacting Sino-U.S. trade relations with similar actions..
The order did not specifically identify any country or company, but U.S. officials have previously labelled Huawei a “threat” and lobbied allies not to use Huawei network equipment in next-generation 5G networks.
US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Trump backed the decision to “prevent American technology from being used by foreign owned entities in ways that potentially undermine U.S. national security or foreign policy interests.”
In response, Huawei, which denies its products pose a security threat, said it was “ready and willing to engage with the U.S. government and come up with effective measures to ensure product security.”
