Beijing to create blacklist of foreign firms

China yesterday said it would release a blacklist of “unreliable” foreign companies and individuals, hitting back after the United States targeted telecom giant Huawei in their escalating trade war.

The announcement was made a day before Beijing is due to increase tariffs on $60 billion in US goods, capping a week marked by rising Chinese threats of retaliation after President Donald Trump blacklisted Huawei. A 90-day reprieve was later issued.

China’s commerce ministry spokesman Gao Feng said the list will include “foreign enterprises, organisations or individuals that do not comply with market rules, deviate from a contract’s spirit or impose blockades or stop supplies to Chinese enterprises for non-commercial purposes, and seriously damage the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises”.