WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US President Joe Biden has banned 59 Chinese military and surveillance firms from acquiring US investors or investments, expanding an original list of 44 Chinese companies targeted in a November executive order, the White House announced on Thursday.
Accusing the 59 companies of activities gravely detrimental to America and its allies, Biden’s expanded order was a further step toward estranging US-Sino relations, already troubled during the years of his predecessor Donald Trump.
Specifically, US persons will be prohibited “from engaging in the purchase or sale of any publicly traded securities” with the listed Chinese companies or individuals determined to be connected with them, White House added.
Biden separately wrote to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who leads his Democratic Party in Congress, to inform her of the matter.
The expanded US action against the Chinese military and surveillance firms came hours after China’s Vice Premier Liu He hailed earlier on Thursday in Beijing the resumption of “normal discussions” with the United States, after he held two video calls with U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen within a week.
Biden, who took office in January, has had a rocky start to his relationship with China. Beijing had expected friendlier ties with Washington after a bruising patch with Trump who called the COVID-19, which originally broke out in Wuhan, a “Chinese virus” and also carried out on an 18-month trade war with China, while targeting Chinese businesses for alleged spying on US interests.
Biden, who has undone most of Trump’s executive orders on immigration, climate and other matters, has left intact his predecessor’s tariffs, indicating he might use them to pressure Beijing into making concessions on trade and other issues.
Biden also surprised China by recently directing the US intelligence community to redouble efforts to investigate the origins of COVID-19 and to report their findings to him in 90 days — an action analysts said could aggravate anti-Asian sentiment in the United States and potentially worldwide.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
0.00 (0%) 0 votes
