China’s Ministry of Commerce criticized the Biden administration's decision this week to add 13 Chinese companies to the Unverified List (see 2312190022), saying the move will “destroy the market rules and the international business order,” according to an unofficial translation. “China will firmly oppose this,” the ministry said, adding that the U.S. should “stop its unreasonable suppression of Chinese companies.” Companies on the UVL are ineligible for U.S export license exceptions and are subject to additional reporting requirements.
China issued new export restrictions on four products this week, according to an unofficial translation of a Ministry of Commerce announcement. The four items are cell cloning and gene editing technology for human use, crop hybrid advantage utilization technology, "bulk material handling and transportation technology," and lidar systems.
China criticized a resolution passed by the European Parliament last week that urged the EU to sanction Chinese officials involved in the forced assimilation of Tibetan children into Chinese government-run boarding schools (see 2312150060), saying the resolution contained “disinformation.” Human rights conditions in Tibet “are better than ever,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said during a Dec. 19 press conference, adding that it’s “entirely up to the students and their parents whether to go to boarding schools or not.”
U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said he hears a lot from farmers, ranchers and those in the fishing industry, and reminded those listening to a talk he gave at the Brookings Institution last week that about 20% of agricultural exports are sent to China.
After consecutive record-setting years, USDA said expectations for 2023 U.S. food exports to South Korea should be “tempered” because the country’s “modest” economic growth, declining exports and weakened technology sector have reduced consumer spending. But the December report also said the 2024 outlook is “more positive,” adding that it expects a combination of low tariffs, rising South Korean consumer income and Korea’s “well-established knowledge of American products” will help the U.S. remain the “top agricultural supplier into the market for many years to come.” The agency said U.S. food exporters should “regularly monitor South Korea’s economic situation and food trends and, where possible, improve on price offerings to counter product competition.”
Japan levied a host of new sanctions on Russia, including a ban on the import of non-industrial Russian diamonds, the Ministry of Finance announced Dec. 15, according to an unofficial translation. The ministry said the import ban will be rolled out "at a later date."
The U.S. and South Korea held talks on a range of critical and emerging technology issues in Seoul late last week, part of an inaugural forum meant to improve cooperation on semiconductors, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum and more, the White House said.
One day after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told AFP that the bloc won't "tolerate" a trade imbalance with China, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said China has never sought a trade surplus with Europe and pushed back on the notion that the trading relationship has hurt the EU.
China’s Ministry of Commerce criticized the U.S. government's recent sanctions against Chinese companies this week for illegally supplying Russia's military and defense industrial base (see 2312050046), saying the move is a "typical example of unilateral sanctions," which undermine international trade rules and affects the security of supply chains. China is "strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to this,” the ministry said, according to an unofficial translation. The news release called for an immediate cessation of the sanctions, adding that China will "safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises."
Chinese drone-maker Autel Robotics hasn’t received any “inquiries” from U.S. government officials investigating whether the company should be placed on the Entity List, an Autel spokesperson said in a Dec. 1 email. The spokesperson said Autel is “solely dedicated to the development and production of civilian drones,” despite a letter last week to the Biden administration from leaders of the House Select Committee on China saying the company is affiliated with China’s military (see 2312010012). The letter asked the administration to add Autel to the Entity List and subject it to U.S. investment restrictions.