WASHINGTON: The United States has added 80 companies from different countries, including Pakistan, to its export blacklist.
According to a foreign news agency, the countries whose companies have been banned include Pakistan, China, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa. There are more than 50 Chinese companies on the blacklist.
According to the report, 19 Pakistani companies are among those affected by the US ban. Four companies from Iran and the United Arab Emirates have also been banned.
Among the companies banned are six subsidiaries of China’s leading cloud computing and big data service provider, Inspur Group. Many other Chinese entities are also included in the list of export restrictions.
According to the US Department of Commerce, the companies of the Inspur Group were helping in the production of supercomputers for the Chinese military.
According to the report, Inspur Group had already been added to the list in 2023. The sanctions are aimed at blocking the development of China’s high-performance computing, quantum technologies, advanced artificial intelligence and hypersonic weapons program.
The US Commerce Secretary said rival countries will not be allowed to abuse US technology to increase military power and endanger its citizens.
The Chinese embassy in the United States has strongly opposed the US actions, saying that the United States should refrain from politicizing trade and technology issues by making them a military issue and using them as a weapon.
The US is also taking steps to prevent Iran’s acquisition of drones and other defense equipment and to limit the development of Tehran’s ballistic missile program and unsafe nuclear activities.
The US Department of Commerce can add any company to the Entity List based on national security or foreign policy concerns, and companies on the list need special licenses to buy US products that are not normally issued.
