US blacklists 33 Chinese companies for helping Beijing spy on minorities

The blacklisted companies focus on artificial intelligence and facial recognition, markets that US chip companies like Nvidia Corp and Intel Corp have been heavily investing in

The United States said on Friday that it would add 33 Chinese firms and institutions to an economic blacklist for helping Beijing spy on its minority Uighur population or because of ties to weapons of mass destruction and China's military.

The US Commerce Department's move marked the Donald Trump administration's latest efforts to crack down on companies whose goods might support Chinese military activities and to punish Beijing for its treatment of Muslim minorities. The decision came even as Communist Party rulers in Beijing on Friday unveiled details of a plan to impose national security laws on Hong Kong.

Seven