"The US action lacks factual basis and due process, harming the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and individuals. China will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and individuals," the spokesperson said when answering a reporter's question on the move.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has slapped a new round of sanctions on more than a dozen individuals and entities in Iran, China and Hong Kong over what it claimed to be supplying the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile program.
The US Treasury Department announced in a statement on Tuesday that the fresh sanctions targeted a network of seven individuals and six entities in Iran, China, and Hong Kong as part of Washington’s so-called pressure campaign against Tehran.
“This network conducted transactions and facilitated the procurement of sensitive and critical parts and technology for key actors in Iran’s ballistic missile development, including Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics,” the Treasury Department claimed in the statement.
The sanctions-hit companies include Beijing Shiny Nights Technology Development, Qingdao Zhongrongtong Trade Development, Hong Kong Ke.Do International Trade Co, Lingoe Process Engineering Limited and Zhejiang Qingji Ind. Co.
MNA/PR
The US Treasury also imposed sanctions on Iran's defense attaché in Beijing, Davoud Damghani, claiming that he coordinated purchasing of Chinese supplies for Iran's defense industry.
The sanctions, which ban US firms and individuals and companies from doing business with those placed on the blacklist, come as China and Iran signed a 25-year cooperation agreement in March 2021 to strengthen their long-standing economic and political alliance.