China sanctions US defence firms, chip data provider in latest curbs
Beijing targets 14 entities, most of them based in the US, on the same day it imposed new rare earth export controls
Beijing has announced sanctions on a slew of Western companies and institutions in the defence and intelligence sectors – including a leading semiconductor data analysis provider – marking its latest salvo amid ongoing trade tensions with the United States.
Fourteen entities, mostly headquartered in the US, were added to Beijing’s unreliable entity list on Thursday, banning them from trade and investment in China, according to a statement from the Ministry of Commerce.
Among the companies on the list is TechInsights, a Canada-based firm specialising in semiconductor intelligence, reverse engineering and market analysis.
Organisations and individuals in China are also prohibited from engaging in transactions, cooperation or other activities with the sanctioned entities, particularly data sharing and providing sensitive information to them, the statement said.
Xu Tianchen, senior China economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit, said Beijing’s move could be seen as a way to gain leverage ahead of the coming meeting.