Pakistan slams US for sanctions on tech firms linked to its ballistic missile projects

Islamabad: Accusing the US of adopting "double standards" and "discriminatory" practices, Pakistan on Saturday rejected unilateral American sanctions on technology companies allegedly linked to the country's ballistic missile programme and said such actions "endanger international peace".

The US on Thursday said it has taken action against four Chinese entities, one Pakistani company, and one Chinese individual involved in the expansion of ballistic missiles and controlled missile equipment and technology to Pakistan.

Reacting to the US action, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa) in a statement said, "Pakistan considers this action as biased and politically-motivated. Similar listings of commercial entities in the past were based on mere suspicion; involved items not listed under any export control regime and yet were considered sensitive under broad, catch-all provisions." Terming the US sanctions as "double standards and discriminatory", Mofa Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said such "practices undermine the credibility of global nonproliferation regimes, increase military asymmetries, and endanger international peace and security", the Geo News reported.

"It is widely known that some countries while claiming strict adherence to nonproliferation norms, have conveniently waived licensing requirements for advanced military technologies to their favoured states," she said, without naming any country.

The US State Department Spokesperson, Matthew Miller, in a statement on Thursday said America imposed sanctions on the Beijing Research Institute of Automation for Machine Building Industry (RIAMB), which has worked with Pakistan’s National Development Complex (NDC), under the missile sanctions laws.

The statement said RIAMB had worked with NDC in the development and production of Pakistan’s long-range ballistic missiles to procure equipment for testing of large-diameter rocket motors, including the Shaheen-3 and Ababeel.

"The United States is [also] imposing sanctions on three PRC-based entities, one PRC individual, and a Pakistani entity for ballistic missile proliferation activities: PRC-based firms Hubei Huachangda Intelligent Equipment Company, Universal Enterprise Limited, and Xi’an Longde Technology Development Company Limited (aka Lontek); and PRC individual Luo Dongmei (aka Steed Luo) for knowingly transferring equipment and technology controlled under the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) Annex, in support of MTCR Category I missile programmes, to a non-MTCR country," it said.

The department said it also imposed sanctions on a Pakistan-based entity Innovative Equipment under the missile sanctions laws, adding that it will "continue to act against proliferation and associated procurement activities of concern, wherever they occur".

Meanwhile, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington, said: “China firmly opposes unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that have no basis in international law or authorisation of the UN Security Council.” China will “firmly protect” Chinese companies’ and individuals’ rights and interests, Liu said.