The United States has accused several companies and research institutes in China of supporting the Russian military since the invasion of Ukraine, in one of the first concrete signs that Chinese entities are allegedly helping Russia against Washington’s wishes. The Commerce Department said it was adding five of the companies to a blacklist of businesses known as the Entity List as a penalty. He also accused two Chinese research institutes that have been blacklisted since 2018 of supporting the Russian military in recent weeks. Entities added to the list are virtually excluded from the US tech market. All companies and institutes have signed recent contracts to continue supplying the Russian military, violating US-led export controls aimed at preventing Russia from gaining access to high-tech components and equipment, the Commerce Department said. “Today’s action sends a strong message to entities and individuals around the world that if they seek to support Russia, the United States will cut them off as well,” said Alan Esteves, Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security. Exports to Russia from China fall sharply, a study shows As soon as Russia invaded on February 24, the United States and its 37 allies responded with coordinated export controls designed to deprive the Russian military and high-tech industries of semiconductors, electronics and other critical components. China, a major technology maker and exporter to Russia, has not joined the blockade, leaving Western officials worried that Beijing could continue or even increase supplies to Russia – something the United States has tried to prevent by threatening to will cut technology deliveries to China if it did. In recent weeks, US officials have said they have seen no “systematic effort” by China to help Russia avoid Western sanctions, despite “unlimited cooperation” announced by leaders Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in February. Trade data released this week, meanwhile, showed that China’s exports to Russia fell sharply after the start of the war. But the recent action of the Ministry of Commerce shows that some technology trade continues. The agency did not say what kind of goods the companies had agreed to supply to the Russian military. However, several of the new companies blacklisted for offices in China appear to be selling electronics. The United States is investigating how American electronics were released into Russian military equipment They are Connec Electronic Ltd., King Pai Technology Co., Sinno Electronics, Winninc Electronic and World Jetta, a logistics company. Three of them also have offices in other countries – Russia, Vietnam, Lithuania and Britain, the Commerce Department said. But he called them entities with “essential / primary activities in China”. The entities that are already on the blacklist of trade since 2018, for the alleged “illegal supply” of technology to the Chinese army, are China Electronics Technology Group Corporation Corporation 13th Research Institute and its subsidiary, Micro Electronic Technology in China. , said the Department of Commerce. Both are units of the state defense group CETC. Companies were not immediately available for comment. The Chinese embassy in Washington has denied that the country provided any assistance to the Russian military. “China’s position on the Ukrainian issue is consistent and clear,” she said in a statement. “We are playing a constructive role in promoting peace talks and we have not provided military assistance to the warring parties.” The statement added: “China and Russia maintain normal energy and trade cooperation and the legitimate interests of Chinese companies should not be compromised.” He said sanctions such as the List of Entities “are against international law and the basic rules governing international relations”. Russia is an insignificant manufacturer of electronics and computer chips and therefore has long relied on imports, making it vulnerable to trade foreclosures. Recent dissections of Russian drones, tanks and other equipment recovered in Ukraine have revealed a number of Western electronics media. This prompted U.S. federal agents to begin questioning U.S. tech companies about how their computer chips ended up on Russian equipment.
