June 29, 20224:25 AM GMT+7
Smoke rises over the remains of a building
destroyed by a military strike, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in
Lysychansk, Luhansk region, Ukraine June 17, 2022. REUTERS/Oleksandr
Ratushniak/File Photo
WASHINGTON, June 28
(Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden's administration added five companies in
China to a trade blacklist on Tuesday for allegedly supporting Russia's
military and defense industrial base, flexing its muscle to enforce sanctions
against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
The Commerce
Department, which oversees the blacklist, said the targeted companies had
supplied items to Russian "entities of concern" before the Feb. 24
invasion, adding that they "continue to contract to supply Russian entity
listed and sanctioned parties."
The agency also added
another 31 entities to the blacklist from countries that include Russia, UAE,
Lithuania, Pakistan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Uzbekistan and Vietnam,
according to the Federal Register entry. Of the 36 total companies added, 25
had China-based operations.
"Today's action sends a powerful message
to entities and individuals across the globe that if they seek to support
Russia, the United States will cut them off as well," Under Secretary of
Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez said in a statement.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not
respond to the allegations against the companies, but said Beijing had not
provided military assistance to Russia or Ukraine. It said it would take
"necessary measures" to protect the rights of its companies, arguing
that the sanctions violate international law.
Three of the companies in China accused of
aiding the Russian military, Connec Electronic Ltd, Hong Kong-based World
Jetta, and Logistics Limited, could not be reached for comment. The other two,
King Pai Technology Co, Ltd and Winninc Electronic did not immediately respond
to requests for comment.
Hong Kong is considered part of China for
purposes of U.S. export controls since Beijing's crackdown on the city's
autonomy.
The firms' blacklisting means their U.S.
suppliers need a Commerce Department license before they can ship items to
them.
The United States has set out with allies to
punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for the invasion, which Moscow calls a
"special operation", by sanctioning a raft of Russian companies and
oligarchs and adding others to a trade blacklist.
While U.S. officials had previously said that
China was generally complying with the restrictions, Washington has vowed to
closely monitor compliance and rigorously enforce the regulations.
"We will not hesitate to act, regardless
of where a party is located, if they are violating U.S. law," Assistant
Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration Thea Rozman Kendler said in the
same statement.
Reporting by Alexandra Alper; Additional reporting by Susan
Heavey, Editing by William Maclean, Tomasz Janowski and Richard Chang
https://www.reuters.com/world/us-accuses-chinese-companies-supporting-russias-military-2022-06-28/
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