Supporting Russian Industry And Defense, Five Chinese Companies Blacklisted By The US

Firefighters try to extinguish a fire at a Ukrainian mall that was engulfed in a Russian missile attack. (Wikimedia Commons/State Emergency Service of Ukraine)

JAKARTA - The administration of United States President Joe Biden added five companies in China to a trade blacklist on Tuesday for allegedly supporting Russia's upstream military and defense industries, deploying its powers to enforce sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

The Commerce Department, which oversees the blacklist, said the targeted companies had supplied goods to Russia's "entities of concern" prior to the February 24 invasion, adding they "continue to contract to supply registered Russian entities and sanctioned parties."

The agency also added 31 other entities to the blacklist from countries that include Russia, UAE, Lithuania, Pakistan, Singapore, UK, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, according to Federal List entries. Of the total 36 companies added, 25 have operations based in China.

"Today's actions send a strong message to entities and individuals around the world that if they seek to support Russia, the United States will also stop them," said Deputy Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Alan Estevez in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to the allegations against the company, but said Beijing was not providing military assistance to Russia or Ukraine.

It said Beijing would take "necessary steps" to protect its companies' rights, 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 US export control purposes since Beijing's crackdown on the city's autonomy.

Meanwhile, the company's blacklisting means their U.S. suppliers need a Department of Commerce license before they can ship goods to them.

The United States has set out with allies to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin for the invasion, which Moscow calls a "special military operation", by sanctioning a number of Russian companies and oligarchs, adding others to a trade blacklist.

While US officials have previously said that China is generally complying with the restrictions, Washington has pledged to closely monitor compliance and enforce regulations.

"We will not hesitate to act, wherever parties are, if they violate US law," said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for the Export Administration Thea Rozman Kendler in the same statement.