China opposes U.S. placing 36 Chinese entities on export controls "entity list"

BEIJING, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- China firmly opposes the U.S. placing 36 Chinese entities on its export controls "entity list," a Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said on Friday.

In response to the U.S. action, China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and institutions, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the Chinese side has noticed that 25 Chinese entities were removed from the "unverified list," and China welcomes this move as it indicates that the two sides can address specific concerns through communication on the basis of mutual respect.

The U.S. side has overstretched the concept of national security, abused export controls and other measures, and used state power to expand a crackdown on Chinese companies and institutions -- typical market distorting and economic bullying practices, the spokesperson said.

The frequent inclusion of Chinese companies on the so-called entity list by the U.S. disrupts normal economic and trade cooperation between Chinese and U.S. companies, goes against the law of the market, undermines market rules and international economic and trade order, affects the stability of global industrial and supply chains, and undermines the interests of global peace and development, the spokesperson said.

That's not good for China, not good for the United States, and not good for the world, the spokesperson said.

Export controls should be carried out in a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory way. They should not obstruct the rational use of scientific and technological achievements to promote development. And they should not block normal international science-and-technology exchanges and trade cooperation, or the smooth operations of global industrial and supply chains, the spokesperson said.

China hopes that the United States will immediately cease its erroneous practices and return to the correct path of upholding the rules of the multilateral trading system centered on the World Trade Organization, the spokesperson said.