The U.S. has blacklisted 24 companies in China - many state-owned or controlled - for their alleged roles in "illegally" building man-made islands for People's Liberation Army military outposts in the South China Sea.
Its latest move to punish China for claiming ownership of the South China Sea bans the companies from purchasing American technology and other products without first obtaining special permission.
The companies were added to the federal Entity List - a roster of companies ineligible to acquire any item subject to the Export Administration Regulations without a license. The list is compiled by the Department of Commerce.
"The entities designated today have played a significant role in China's provocative construction of these artificial islands and must be held accountable," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement.
Since 2013, China began reclaiming land and building artificial islands in the South China Sea. Since then the companies included in the blacklist have built more than 3,000 acres of new land. These man-made military outposts are intended to assert Chinese sovereignty over the South China Sea - which China claims to own almost in its entirety based on unlawful "historic rights," the statement said.
Most of these islands are garrisoned by People's Liberation Army troops and are defended against attacks by anti-air- and ship missiles. In July, the U.S. declared China's claim to ownership of the South China Sea illegal and stepped up patrols by U.S. Navy warships.
The Department of State said China's unlawful island building undermined the sovereignty of other countries in the region - specifically the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
China must not be allowed to use these companies "as weapons to impose an expansionist agenda," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. "The U.S. will act until we see Beijing discontinue its coercive behavior in the South China Sea, and we will continue to stand with allies and partners in resisting this destabilizing activity."
The commerce department said China's dredging and construction of military outposts violated the sovereign rights of the Philippines as determined by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in a 2016 ruling against China in a case brought by the Philippines.
The banned companies are:
* China Communications Construction Company Dredging Group Co., Ltd.
* China Communications Construction Company Tianjin Waterway Bureau
* China Communications Construction Company Shanghai Waterway Bureau
* China Communications Construction Company Guangzhou Waterway Bureau
* China Communications Construction Company Second Navigation Engineering Bureau
* Beijing Huanjia Telecommunication Co., Ltd.
* Changzhou Guoguang Data Communications Co., Ltd.
* China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, 7th Research Institute (CETC-7)
* Guangzhou Hongyu Technology Co., Ltd., (a subordinate institute of CETC-7)
* Guangzhou Tongguang Communication Technology Co., Ltd. (a subordinate institute of CETC-7)
* China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, 30th Research Institute (CETC-30)
* China Shipbuilding Group, 722nd Research Institute
* Chongxin Bada Technology Development Co., Ltd.
* Guangzhou Guangyou Communications Equipment Co., Ltd.
* Guangzhou Haige Communication Group Co., Ltd.
* Guilin Changhai Development Co., Ltd.
* Hubei Guangxing Communications Technology Co., Ltd.
* Shaanxi Changling Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.
* Shanghai Cable Offshore Engineering Co., Ltd.
* Telixin Electronics Technology Co., Ltd.
* Tianjin Broadcasting Equipment Co., Ltd.
* Tianjin 764 Avionics Technology Co., Ltd.
* Tianjin 764 Communication and Navigation Technology Co., Ltd.
* Wuhan Mailite Communication Co., Ltd.
