The Biden administration on Thursday added two units of prominent Chinese genetics company BGI and Chinese cloud computing firm Inspur to a trade blacklist, a move that promises to further ratchet up tensions with Beijing, reports Reuters. The Commerce Department, which oversees export controls, added BGI Research and BGI Tech Solutions (Hongkong), over allegations the firms pose a “significant risk” to contributing to Chinese government surveillance used to repress ethnic minorities.
It accused Inspur of acquiring and attempting to acquire US goods to support China’s military modernization efforts. The companies and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Twenty-six other Chinese entities were also added to the list, which makes it hard for targeted companies to receive shipments of US goods from suppliers.
