As a way to get back at China for what it says was a spy balloon that flew through U.S. airspace last week, the U.S. has blacklisted six Chinese entities it says are linked to Beijing’s aerospace programs.
The five companies and one research institute will have a harder time getting American technology exports because of the economic restrictions that were announced on Friday. These restrictions came after the Biden administration promised to think about bigger ways to stop Chinese spying.
The move is likely to make things worse between the U.S. and China after the balloon was shot down off the coast of North Carolina last weekend. The U.S. said the balloon could pick up and record intelligence signals, but Beijing says it was just a weather craft that got blown off course.
Because of what happened, Secretary of State Antony Blinken had to quickly cancel a trip to Beijing that was meant to calm things down.
The U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security said that the six organizations were being targeted because of “their support for China’s military modernization efforts, especially the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) aerospace programs, such as airships and balloons.”
It said, “The PLA uses High Altitude Balloons (HAB) for intelligence and reconnaissance.”
Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves said on Twitter that his department “will not be afraid to continue to use” these restrictions and other regulatory and enforcement tools “to protect U.S. national security and sovereignty.”
The six companies are Beijing Nanjiang Aerospace Technology Co., China Electronics Technology Group Corporation 48th Research Institute, Dongguan Lingkong Remote Sensing Technology Co., Eagles Men Aviation Science and Technology Group Co., Guangzhou Tian-Hai-Xiang Aviation Technology Co., and Shanxi Eagles Men Aviation Science and Technology Group Co.
When asked for a comment, the research institute didn’t answer right away. Five people or groups could not be reached.
On Friday, President Joe Biden gave the order for a U.S. military fighter jet to shoot down a flying object that no one knew what it was. The object was shot down because it was thought to be a threat to the safety of civilian flights, not because anyone knew it was spying.
But the fact that they happened so close together shows that people are more worried about China’s surveillance program and want Biden to take a strong stand against it.
