(Aug 5): China tightened its export controls on drones to the US and sanctioned multiple American companies in a series of retaliatory measures against Washington’s widening tech curbs.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry announced four sets of countermeasures on Wednesday in response to recent US moves. It cited decisions including the Federal Communications Commission’s ban on some foreign-made robots and power inverters and the blacklisting of more than 40 Chinese companies accused of recruiting Uyghurs to work as forced labour.

As part of the retaliation package, sales to the US of drones, their key components and related technologies listed on China’s dual-use export control list will be subject to “strict case-by-case review”, the ministry said.

China, the world’s dominant manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles, first imposed restrictions on the export of drones and certain components in 2023. Since then, it’s gradually tightened its curbs, including by placing them on the country’s dual-use export control list when it went into effect in 2024.

Last December, the FCC announced a ban on most foreign-made drones and critical components for unmanned aircraft systems. The ban applied only to new drone imports and sales and not those that had already been sold or were in use.

On Wednesday, China’s Commerce Ministry also sanctioned six US entities, including Applied DNA Sciences and Stratum Reservoir, for their involvement in US sanctions over Xinjiang. In addition, it sanctioned Compliance Testing for helping the FCC to impose measures against China.

China will also conduct a foreign trade national security investigation, which targets imported printers, copiers, and other office imaging equipment with imported software, the ministry said.

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