The United States Department of Commerce placed 16 Chinese “entities”, on a concern list to help Pakistan with its nuclear ambitions.
Bureau of Industry and Security of the agency added 27 entities to their list of those that “contain the national security and foreign policy interests of America.”
16 of the entities included on the list were Chinese entities, which the agency claimed were supporting Pakistan’s “unsafeguarded nuclear activities” and missile program efforts.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo stated in a release: “Global trade and commerce should support peace, prosperity, and good-paying jobs, not national security risks”
“Today’s actions will help prevent the diversion of U.S. technologies to the PRC’s and Russia’s military advancement and activities of non-proliferation concern like Pakistan’s unsafeguarded nuclear activities or ballistic missile program. The Department of Commerce is committed to effectively using export controls to protect our national security.”
According to the agency, the list allows the bureau of commerce to limit the export, reexport, and in-country transfers of items suspected to be involved in activities that are contrary to security concerns of the United States.
The list includes the Moscow Institute of Physics, which makes military products for a military end-user; China’s Corad Technology Limited, which sells technology from the United States and other western countries to Iran’s space and military programs; and North Korean “front corporations.”
The agency states that foreign parties cannot export items to countries without a license. This is because they pose a greater risk of transferring weapons of mass destruction programs or terrorist organizations.
HangZhou Zhongke Microelectronics Co. Ltd., Hunan Goke Microelectronics, New H3C Semiconductor Technologies Co. Ltd., Xi’an Aerospace Huaxun Technology, and Yunchip Microelectronics were also placed on the Commerce Department’s entity list for their “support of the military modernization of the People’s Liberation Army,” the Express Times reported.
Companies can apply for exemption licenses for these entities. However, the agency stated that such applications are subject to a “presumption denial.”
According to the agency, the military end-users list informs the public about certain individuals in Russia, China, and Venezuela that the U.S. considers to be military users.
