US sanctions Chinese individuals, firms over South China Sea dispute

The United States has blacklisted 24 Chinese companies and individuals over their actions related to disputed islands in the South China Sea.

“The United States, China’s neighbors, and the international community have rebuked the CCP’s sovereignty claims to the South China Sea and have condemned the building of artificial islands for the Chinese military,” said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Wednesday. “The entities designated today have played a significant role in China’s provocative construction of these artificial islands and must be held accountable.”

According to a statement published on the website of the US Commerce Department, the companies that were targeted by Washington include Guangzhou Haige Communications Group, several firms that appear to be related to the China Communications Construction Co, as well as Beijing Huanjia Telecommunication, Changzhou Guoguang Data Communications, China Electronics Technology Group Corp and China Shipbuilding Group.

In a separate statement on Wednesday, the US State Department announced that it has imposed visa restrictions on a number of Chinese individuals under the same pretext.

"Today, the Department of State will begin imposing visa restrictions on People’s Republic of China (PRC) individuals responsible for, or complicit in, either the large-scale reclamation, construction, or militarization of disputed outposts in the South China Sea, or the PRC’s use of coercion against Southeast Asian claimants to inhibit their access to offshore resources," the statement read.

"These individuals will now be inadmissible into the United States, and their immediate family members may be subject to these visa restrictions as well," it added.

Diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing have dropped to the lowest level in decades since US President Donald Trump has come to power. The two countries are currently at loggerheads over numerous issues, including trade, technology, Hong Kong's security, Taiwan's independence, navigation in the East and South China Seas, and most recently, the coronavirus pandemic.

MG