China US

 
US sanctions against Chinese entities over alleged involvement in Iran’s drone procurement are an abuse of administrative power and a practice of "long-arm jurisdiction" that undermines international trade rules and order, a Chinese expert said on Thursday. 

In a press release on Wednesday US time, the US Treasury Department asserted that the six entities based in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland engaged in the procurement of unmanned aerial vehicle components on behalf of US-sanctioned Iranian firm Pishtazan Kavosh Gostar Boshra and its subsidiary Narin Sepehr Mobin Isatis.

The entities include Dingtai Industrial Technology Co, Yonghongan Trade Ltd, and Hong Kong Tianle International Co, according to the press release. The press release did not provide specific evidence to back the US’ accusations.  

“The US did not provide specific evidence. In the absence of evidence and facts, arbitrarily damaging the commercial reputation of relevant companies causes a very significant negative impact on their businesses,” Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Thursday.

The US’ sanctions amounted to an abuse of administrative power to interfere with normal commercial activities, and are in fact a practice of long-arm jurisdiction that undermines international trade rules and order, Zhou said.

China has long opposed the US’ unilateral sanctions against Chinese entities based on groundless accusations.

In response to the US’ sanctions on Wednesday, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said that China and Iran's cooperation was "reasonable and legal,” according to a Reuters report.

"China has always firmly opposed the illegal unilateral sanctions imposed by the US and will firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of its enterprises and citizens," Liu was quoted by Reuters as saying.

Previously, in September 2023, after the US Treasury Department said it would sanction seven individuals and four entities from Iran, Russia, China and Turkey on the grounds of so-called "connection" with Tehran's drone and military aircraft development, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said that Washington's abuse of unilateral sanctions and the practice of "long-arm jurisdiction" disrupts the international trade order and rules, obstructs normal economic and trade exchanges among nations, and harms the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and individuals.  

The US side should immediately cease its unjust suppression of Chinese enterprises and individuals, the spokesperson urged at the time. 

Global Times