US State department releases Entity list, accuses Chinese firms of aiding Russian invasion

US has accused several companies and research institutes in China of supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In its latest report, the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) -an agency affiliated to the US Department of Commerce-added a total of 36 entities from around nine countries to its Entity List. Six out of the total were included specifically for their continued support to Putin’s War of Attrition. Apart from China, other countries which came under renewed scrutinty were UAE, Pakistan, Russia amongst others.

The list mentions all the entities who the department deems as conducting activities that could result in an increased risk of the diversion of exported, reexported and transferred items to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs. Since its initial publication, grounds for inclusion on the Entity List have expanded to activities sanctioned by the State Department and acts contrary to US national security and/or foreign policy interests, as per the State Department website. Notably, the latest edition also includes two Chinese names, which have been on the list since 2018 and have shown continued support to Kremlin troops, despite White House sanctions.

US has been working to structure export controls: State Dept

The war in Ukraine has intensified with Russia renewing attacks in eastern part of the country. China- a long term ally of the Russian Federation- has been hesitant in taking any strong step against China. The department on Friday, said that it will not hesitate to take action when parties backfill in violation of rules. Since the early days of war, US State Department had made it clear that it will pull all stops to stop export anything that could fuel Russia's war machine. 

"We worked hard with our allies and partners to structure our export controls for maximum impact on Russia's strategic sectors. Given the breadth and cooperation of our multilateral coalition, we are well positioned not only to impose restrictions but also to track and cut offprivate firms that may seek to support Russia," Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration Thea D. Rozman Kendler said, adding that, "We will not hesitate to act, regardless of where a party is located, if they are violating U.S. law."

(Image: AP)