U.S. firm Illumina, Inc. banned from exporting gene sequencers to China

BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. company Illumina, Inc. has been banned from exporting gene sequencers to China, the Ministry of Commerce announced Tuesday.

The measure, effective immediately, follows China's move to add the company to its unreliable entity list on Feb. 4, according to the ministry.

The statement noted that the measure was introduced to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and in line with relevant laws and regulations.

China added the company to the unreliable entity list after the company was found to have violated normal market trading principles, terminated regular trade with Chinese companies, and adopted discriminatory measures against Chinese companies, thus causing serious harm to their legitimate rights and interests.