Iran Press/Asia: China’s Ministry of Commerce said the list would contain foreign companies, individuals and organizations that “do not follow market rules, violate the spirit of contracts, blockade and stop supplying Chinese companies for noncommercial reasons, and seriously damage the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.”
It did not give any details of which companies or entities it would include on the list, or what would happen to them, the New York Times reported.
The ministry said that specific measures would be announced in the “near future.”
Although the language echoes that of the United States government, which in recent months has placed Chinese companies on what it calls an “entity list” of firms that need special permission to buy American components and technology. Two weeks ago the Trump Administration placed Huawei, the Chinese maker of telecommunications gear, on the entity list, which could deny it access to microchips, software and other American-provided technology it needs to make and sell its products.
Shortly afterward, some American technology companies, including Google, said they would stop supplying Huawei. The American government has since granted Huawei a 90-day waiver, giving Chinese and American officials time to hammer out an agreement. The Trump Administration also is said to be considering putting Hikvision, a Chinese video surveillance company, on the list.
If Friday’s move is calculated to be a tit-for-tat strike back at American technology companies, Beijing will have ample targets. Major websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google are blocked in China, and rules strictly control other businesses like online payments and cloud services. 213/211
