WASHINGTON: The United States added dozens of entities to a trade blacklist Tuesday, its Commerce Department said, in part to disrupt Beijing’s artificial intelligence and advanced computing capabilities.

The action affects 80 entities from countries including China, the United Arab Emirates and Iran, with the department citing their “activities contrary to US national security and foreign policy.”

Those added to the “entity list” are restricted from obtaining US items and technologies without government authorization.

“We will not allow adversaries to exploit American technology to bolster their own militaries and threaten American lives,” said US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The entities targeted include 11 based in China and one in Taiwan, accused of engaging in the development of advanced AI, supercomputers and high-performance AI chips for China-based users “with close ties to the country’s military-industrial complex.”

They include the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence and subsidiaries of IT giant Inspur Group.

Others were included for “contributions to unsafeguarded nuclear activities” or ballistic missile programs. The aim is to prevent US technologies and goods from being misused for activities like high performance computing, hypersonic missiles and military aircraft training, said Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler.

Two entities in Iran and China were also added to the list for seeking to procure US items for Iran’s defense industry and drone programs, the Commerce Department said. Beijing condemned the blacklisting of its firms, accusing Washington of “weaponizing” trade and technology in a “typical act of hegemonism”. “We urge the US side to stop generalizing the concept of national security... and stop abusing all kinds of sanctions lists to unreasonably suppress Chinese enterprises,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a daily news conference.

China would take “necessary measures” to defend its firms’ rights, Guo added. Several of the blacklisted companies did not respond to AFP’s request for comment on Wednesday. – AFP