(Yicai) March 5 -- China's move to add certain US entities to its export control list is a legal and effective measure taken as a justified self-defense.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce added 15 US firms to its export control list and 10 to its unreliable entities list yesterday, following the inclusion of 28 US companies in the former list in January and two to the latter last month. The unreliable entities are prohibited from engaging in import and export activities with China or making new investments.

The measures taken by China are in strict compliance with domestic laws and international practices. Both batches of US entities were listed under China's export control regime due to actions that have endangered the country's national security and interests, compelling it to impose sanctions.

According to Article 18 of the Export Control Law of China, the Chinese government can prohibit or restrict transactions involving controlled items with importers and end-users listed on the control list and order the suspension of exports of such controlled items.

For example, General Dynamics and AeroVironment, which were added to the export control list, have long been involved in arms sales to Taiwan or military technology research and development, posing a direct threat to China's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Their inclusion exemplifies the country's efforts to safeguard national security and interests.

The United States has escalated high-tech export controls against China under the pretext of national security in recent years, accusing numerous Chinese companies without sufficient evidence and imposing tech blockades, severely disrupting international trade rules.

China does not seek to initiate trade disputes but will take necessary measures to defend its rights and interests in response to such unilateral bullying. These countermeasures are not only a response to US actions but also serve to uphold the international fair-trade order.

(The author is Guo Xiaobing, director of the Center for Arms Control Studies of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.)

Editor: Martin Kadiev