US blacklists Chinese chipmaker SMIC & oil producer CNOOC over alleged military ties

The Pentagon has added China’s largest chipmaker, SMIC, and oil giant CNOOC to a blacklist of alleged Chinese military companies. The move is part of broader attempts to reduce Chinese firms’ access to the US market.

The US Department of Defense designated four additional companies as being owned or controlled by the Chinese military, the other two being China Construction Technology and China International Engineering Consulting. The four just added bring the total number of blacklisted firms to 35.

The list didn’t initially trigger any penalties, but a recent executive order issued by President Donald Trump will prevent US investors from buying securities of the blacklisted firms starting next year. Specifically, the move could make it more difficult for US companies to export technology to the blacklisted Chinese companies.

In September, the Pentagon said it was considering whether SMIC should be added to the Commerce Department’s entity list, which essentially restricts those companies from receiving specific goods made in the United States.

On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives passed a law to bar Chinese companies from US stock exchanges if they do not fully comply with the country’s auditing rules.

According to media reports, the Trump administration is also set to announce further sanctions on 89 Chinese aerospace and other companies that allegedly have military ties. The new sanctions would restrict them from purchasing certain US goods and technologies.

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