China sanctions US defence firms, chip data provider in latest curbs

Beijing has announced sanctions on a slew of Western companies and institutions in the defence sector and a leading semiconductor data analysis provider, marking its latest salvo amid ongoing trade tensions with the United States.

Fourteen entities, mostly headquartered in the United States, were added to Beijing’s unreliable entity list on Thursday, banning them from trade and investment in China, according to a statement from the Ministry of Commerce.

Among the companies on the list is TechInsights, a Canada-based firm specialising in semiconductor intelligence, reverse engineering and market analysis.

Organisations and individuals in China are also prohibited from engaging in transactions, cooperation or other activities with the sanctioned entities, particularly data sharing and providing sensitive information to them, the statement said.

The move came after the ministry imposed a raft of new export controls on rare earth materials and related technologies on Thursday morning, as Beijing seeks to gain leverage ahead of an anticipated meeting between President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart Donald Trump in late October.

“This reflects the complexity of China-US relations,” said Ding Shuang, chief Greater China economist at Standard Chartered. “Both sides are likely to keep negotiating – it’s not as if either intends to flip the table.