Key facts
- China imposed export controls on 10 U.S. companies and banned government procurement from 46 others.
- Targeted U.S. companies include defense contractors, drone makers, and rare earth miners.
- Measures are a response to U.S. sanctions on Chinese firms linked to the military.
- China stated the export ban aims to safeguard national security and counter U.S. actions.
- Sanctions follow a recent visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to Beijing.
China has imposed export controls on 10 American companies and prohibited government agencies from purchasing products from 46 others, including units of Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and General Dynamics. The Commerce Ministry stated that Chinese exporters would be prohibited from supplying 'dual-use' items to the 10 sanctioned firms, which include military drone makers and companies involved in rare earth mining. This action is in response to a recent U.S. decision to expand a blacklist of Chinese firms it says have links to the country's military. China's Commerce Ministry asserted that the export ban is necessary to safeguard its national security and counter what it called the U.S. government's 'egregious act of adding to its so-called 'Chinese military enterprise list''. The sanctions come a month after U.S. President Donald Trump visited Beijing for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping aimed at stabilizing relations.