China’s Ministry of Commerce said Sunday it “resolutely opposes” the addition of 23 Chinese entities to a U.S. economic blacklist over issues including alleged human rights abuses and military ties. In a statement citing a spokesperson, the Chinese commerce ministry said the inclusion of the Chinese entities was a “serious breach of international economic and trade rules” and an “unreasonable suppression” of Chinese companies.
The Chinese government “will take necessary measures to safeguard China’s legitimate rights and interests,” the statement said. The U.S. Department of Commerce said on Friday it had added 14 companies and other entities to its economic blacklist, saying they had been “implicated in human rights violations and abuses in the implementation of China’s campaign of repression.
“The Department of Commerce remains firmly committed to taking strong, decisive action to target entities that are enabling human rights abuses in Xinjiang or that use U.S. technology to fuel China’s destabilizing military modernization efforts,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement.
