What’s new: China has vowed to take countermeasures against U.S. entities that have “undermined China’s sovereignty and security,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, after Washington blacklisted six Chinese aerospace entities last week in relation to the recent balloon incident.
The U.S. “used the incident as an excuse to impose illegal sanctions on Chinese companies and institutions,” foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during a daily briefing Wednesday, adding that China strongly opposes the action and will take countermeasures in accordance with the law.
Wang did not elaborate on details of the measures and did not identify the U.S. entities to be targeted.
The background: On Feb. 10, the U.S. Department of Commerce put five Chinese companies and one research institute that it said was “tied specifically to the People’s Liberation Army’s aerospace programs,” including production of airships and balloons, on its “Entity List,” restricting them from obtaining U.S. technology without U.S. government authorization.
On Feb. 4, the U.S. shot down an unmanned Chinese airship that was seen flying across U.S. airspace. China has repeatedly called the U.S. downing of the balloon an “overreaction,” after Beijing had informed Washington of its civilian nature.
China has also called on the U.S. to investigate multiple American balloon incursions that Beijing claimed to have crossed China’s airspace more than 10 times since May 2022.
Contact reporter Kelly Wang (jingzhewang@caixin.com) and editor Bertrand Teo (bertrandteo@caixin.com)
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