Joe Biden Extends Donald Trump's Blacklist of Chinese Companies

President Joe Biden on Thursday signed an executive order to shore up and extend a ban on United States investments with certain Chinese companies that was first instituted by his predecessor, Donald Trump.

Biden's order blacklists 59 companies tied to the Chinese military-industrial complex and surveillance industry and bars people in the United States from engaging in the purchase or sale with them. It takes effect at 12:01 a.m. (ET) on August 2.

In the order, Biden writes that he has determined "that additional steps are necessary to address the national emergency" first outlined by the Trump administration, with regards to China.

Trump's original order, signed in November amid his ongoing trade war with China, was challenged in court. According to the Biden administration, the new executive order addresses legal concerns that were raised. It also added more firms to the list of banned entities.

"This [executive order] prevents U.S. investment from supporting the Chinese defense sector, while also expanding the U.S. Government's ability to address the threat of Chinese surveillance technology firms that contribute—both inside and outside China—to the surveillance of religious or ethnic minorities or otherwise facilitate repression and serious human rights abuses," the White House wrote in a fact sheet distributed to reporters.

Leave a Comment