China has hit back against a round of US sanctions with a barrage of countersanctions targeting a group of American entities and a tightening of export restrictions on the drone supply chain, reports the South China Morning Post.

The export controls will subject any shipments of “drones, their key components and related technologies” to the US to “strict case-by-case scrutiny”, with the measures set to take effect immediately, the ministry said in a statement, citing the need to “safeguard national security and meet China’s international commitments on non-proliferation”.

On the same day, the commerce ministry also added six US entities to its countermeasures list–banning Chinese entities and individuals from cooperating with them–over allegations that they had assisted US sanctions related to China’s Xinjiang region, describing their conduct as “egregious”. A seventh US company, Compliance Testing, was added to the countermeasures list for assisting the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in introducing measures that “endanger China’s sovereignty, security and development interests”.

The ​United States has banned imports from 43 more Chinese companies over alleged rights abuses of Uyghur and other minority groups, targeting firms in supply chains ‌from electronics to food and metals, reports Reuters.

The companies were added to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, which creates a presumption that goods made wholly or partly by listed entities are made with forced labor and cannot enter the United States unless importers can prove otherwise.

Those included SDIC Xinjiang Lithium Industry and its parent, SDIC Xinjiang Luobupo Potash, Xinjiang Tianhongji Technology, Hunan Aihua Group and Chacha Food.

China can stabilize economic growth this year by accelerating already-budgeted national infrastructure investment projects, reports Reuters citing economists and one government adviser, reducing the likelihood of large-scale ​fiscal stimulus.

Beijing intends to counter a surprising across-the-board fall in investment, which data on Wednesday showed has dragged on growth this year, while maintaining tight control ‌over local government spending.

The decline comes as local officials face stricter scrutiny of capital expenditure, which authorities blame for unproductive infrastructure projects, industrial overcapacity and deflationary price wars among manufacturers.

The European Commission has imposed ‌anti-dumping duties on the import of ​tyres for cars ​and lighter trucks and ⁠buses from China, reports Reuters.

The ​duties, which followed ​an investigation launched in November last year, vary from 4.3% ​to 45.3%.

“Imports ​of passenger car and light ‌lorry ⁠tyres from China were entering the EU at dumped ​prices. This ​is ⁠causing injury to the EU’s ​tyre industry, ​which ⁠employs over 80,000 people across 14 ⁠EU ​countries,” the ​Commission said.

China has tightened regulations for low-altitude aviation within 300km (186.4 miles) of Beijing’s geographic centre after a small plane hit a skyscraper, reports the South China Morning Post. Authorities are now requiring mandatory background reviews for pilots, according to a veteran aviation analyst.

The regulatory move affected crewed aircraft near Great Wall tourist sites, aerial tours of Beijing’s suburban mountains, and agricultural-use flights north of the capital, but was expected to have little impact on drones and uncrewed air taxis, which were already banned from much of that space, the analyst said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Because the curbs apply to general aviation–activity below 1,000 metres (3,280 feet)–commercial flights from Beijing’s major airports would be exempt. Instead, the enhanced oversight would mainly cover private recreational flights, some business travel by air and flight instruction–parts of China’s burgeoning low-altitude economy, the source explained.