China Blasts 'Hegemonic' US Missile Sanctions

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Friday also accused Washington of hypocrisy for selling nuclear-capable cruise missiles.

The US State Department on Friday announced sanctions against three Chinese companies, accusing them of “missile technology proliferation.”

The companies are China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp First Academy, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp Fourth Academy, and Poly Technologies Incorporated.

The sanctions, which apply to the companies and their subsidiaries, mean that those entities are barred from US markets and from obtaining technology that can be used to make weapons.

“This is a typical hegemonic action. China strongly deplores and firmly opposes it,” Lijian told reporters, according to The Associated Press.

“China urges the United States to immediately correct its mistakes, revoke the relevant sanctions and stop suppressing Chinese enterprises and smearing China,” he continued.

China accounted for 5.2 percent of the global share of major arms exports between 2016 and 2021, while in comparison, the US accounted for 37 percent of the global share, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that China strictly controls is exports of missiles, adding “normal cooperation between China and relevant countries doesn’t violate any international law and doesn’t involve proliferation.”