Tension has resurfaced in relations between Washington and Beijing, recently, due to the Chinese balloon that entered American airspace and was shot down, earlier this February, amid expectations that it would increase the level of “distrust” between the two superpowers.
Not only did Washington shoot down the balloon, but it went further, blacklisting six Chinese companies, in order to prevent them from accessing American goods and technologies without permission.
The Washington Post wrote that these sanctions are the first response from the Joe Biden administration to the Chinese balloon, which earlier led to the cancellation of an upcoming visit by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Beijing.
In the same vein, The Wall Street Journal said that China will face greater obstacles in accessing Western technology after the balloon incident that angered Washington.
The source added that the balloon crisis reinforced the sense of security officials in the United States the need to protect American technology, which is not in the interest of Beijing.
Martin Rasser, a former CIA officer, said the balloon “added fuel to the fire”.
The balloon incident reinforces the position of those who are described in Washington as hawkish towards Beijing, because they call for “greater toughness against China”, despite the great economic interests existing between the two countries.
Earlier, US Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves said that the US blacklisting of these six Chinese companies is “a powerful tool to identify and prevent those seeking to use their access to global markets from harming and threatening US national security.”
“We will not hesitate to use (this) regulation and our other regulatory and enforcement tools to protect the national security of the United States,” he added.
What are the companies covered by penalties?
Beijing Nanjiang Aerospace Technology Corporation.
Dongguan remote sensing companies.
Eagles Maine aeronautics and technology group of companies.
Shanxi Eagles Aeronautics and Technology Group of Companies.
The 48th Research Institute of China Electronics and Technology Group.
Technology Group Corporation.
Feverish context
These American measures did not begin with the balloon crisis. Rather, Washington has been moving against Chinese companies for several years, amid intense economic competition.
The United States has long accused Chinese companies of “stealing American technology” and not respecting the intellectual property rights of companies in the United States.
And last October, the United States added Chinese semiconductor companies to the list, accusing them of “collaborating” with the Chinese army.
On Friday, the United States shot down an unidentified flying object while it was flying in Alaska, but the United States did not specify whether it belonged to a country or a company.