USA added to its blacklist six Chinese entities linked to aerospace programs of Beijing as part of its retaliation for an alleged Chinese spy balloon that recently traversed North American airspace.
The economic restrictions announced on Friday afternoon followed the commitment of the president’s government Joe Biden of contemplating broader measures to tackle Chinese monitoring activities and will make it more difficult for the five companies and a research institute to obtain US technology for export.
The move is likely to escalate the diplomatic row between the United States and China sparked by the balloon, which was shot down last weekend off the coast of South Carolina. The United States said the balloon was equipped to detect and collect intelligence signals, but Beijing insists it was a weather device that went off course.
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The incident prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to abruptly cancel a high-profile trip to Beijing aimed at easing bilateral tensions.
The US Bureau of Industry and Security said the six Chinese entities were being targeted for retaliation for “Your support for China’s military modernization efforts, specifically the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aerospace programs, which include aircraft and balloons.”
“The PLA is using High Altitude Balloons (HAB) for intelligence and reconnaissance activities,” added.
US Under Secretary of Commerce Don Graves tweeted that his department “will not hesitate to continue using” such restrictions and other regulatory and compliance tools “to protect the national security and sovereignty of the United States.”
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On Friday, a US fighter jet shot down an unknown object flying off the remote north coast of Alaska, on Biden’s orders. The object was shot down because it reportedly posed a threat to the safety of civilian flights, rather than claiming it was a surveillance craft.
The two similar incidents in such close succession reflect heightened concerns about China’s surveillance program and public pressure on Biden to take a tough stance against it.
Source: AP
Source: Gestion
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