US Sanctions 33 Chinese Companies

The US Commerce Department said on Friday it is adding 33 Chinese companies and other institutions to an economic blacklist for human rights violations and to address US national security concerns involving weapons of mass destruction and other military activities.

The department said it was sanctioning nine companies and institutions saying they were "complicit in human rights violations and abuses committed in China’s campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, forced labour and high-technology surveillance against Uighurs" and others.

The government cited seven commercial entities for enabling China’s high-technology surveillance. The Commerce Department also added 24 governmental and commercial organisations to the economic list for supporting procurement of items for use by the Chinese military. (Reuters)