US sanctions six Chinese companies that “threat national security” after spy balloon incident

11 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Office of Industry and Security of the United States Department of Commerce has added this Friday six Chinese companies to a blacklist of sanctions for being a “threat to national security”, as a result of the tension between Washington and Beijing over the incursion of a hot air balloon in American airspace.

The US Department of Commerce has sanctioned six Chinese companies for being entities linked to the People’s Liberation Army’s aerospace programs, including airships, balloons and other related components used by the military for “intelligence and reconnaissance work” that they go against the interests and security of the United States.

As a result of this sanction, the six Chinese companies included in this entity list are prohibited from obtaining US goods and technologies without prior authorization or a license from the US Government. In addition, as the statement added, this sanction “sends a clear message to companies, governments and other interested parties” that stresses that these entities represent “a threat to national security.”

However, the Commerce Department has not specified to what extent these six companies are related to US exporters or to what extent their operations will be affected by the restrictions.

The six companies sanctioned 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.

“China’s use of high-altitude balloons violates our sovereignty and threatens US national security,” Undersecretary of Commerce Don Graves said in the letter.

This week, the intelligence services of the United States linked the alleged Chinese spy balloon shot down last Saturday with a large surveillance program orchestrated by the Chinese Army, which is why it has warned its allies about the maneuvers of the Asian giant.

In addition to the United States, China would have flown surveillance balloons over military assets in countries and areas of emerging strategic interest to the Asian giant, including Japan, India, Vietnam, Taiwan or the Philippines, according to senior US officials told The Washington newspaper. Post’.

The balloon was first sighted last week over Montana and crossed the country to the east coast until reaching the Atlantic, where it was finally shot down by the US Army on the orders of President Joe Biden.

For its part, the Government of China confirmed that the balloon located by the US authorities in the airspace of the US country was its property, although it qualified its “civilian nature” and its purpose for “scientific research” and condemned forceful demolition of the artifact.

A second Chinese balloon was located last week over Latin America, a sighting confirmed by the Colombian Air Force and which led Costa Rica to send its complaints to the Chinese government. Meanwhile, the spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning, indicated that this second balloon had entered “by mistake” into the airspace of several countries, insisting that Beijing respects International Law and “does not represent any threat to any country.” .