China imposes broad trade countermeasures against the United States in retaliation for recent American restrictions
China's Ministry of Commerce announced a broad package of trade countermeasures on Wednesday, targeting several American entities and tightening export controls on drones and related technologies. The measures serve as a direct retaliation for recent actions by the administration, including the FCC's ban on new humanoid and quadruped robots and the ban on 43 Chinese companies over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Beijing's response includes blacklisting seven American companies, preventing them from doing business with Chinese entities. It also launched its first-world national security investigation into imported office equipment with foreign software. These moves are intended to generate leverage ahead of the upcoming summit between Xi Jinping and President Trump. While the administration has recently sanctioned Chinese shipping operators and added new institutions to a Pentagon blacklist, China's latest measures aim to constrain the flow of Chinese products to the U.S. market. The administration urged China to revoke its measures and maintain a constructive relationship, while China warned that further countermeasures will be taken if the administration continues to introduce new restrictive measures.