US put sanctions on Chinese firms, individuals for supporting Pakistan’s missile programme

Washington: The US has taken action against four Chinese entities, one Pakistani company, and one Chinese individual for their supply to Pakistan's ballistic missile programme under the missile sanctions laws, a State Department statement has said.

State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement on Thursday said the US 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 (i.e. the Arms Export Control Act [AECA] and the Export Control Reform Act [ECRA]).

The statement said the Beijing Research Institute 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," the statement said.

The statement said the department also imposed sanctions on a Pakistan-based entity Innovative Equipment under the missile sanctions laws.

"The United States will continue to act against proliferation and associated procurement activities of concern, wherever they occur," the statement concluded.

The US had similarly targeted three China-based companies with sanctions in October last year for supplying missile-applicable items to Pakistan.

The US State Department had sanctioned General Technology Limited, Beijing Luo Luo Technology Development Co Ltd, and Changzhou Utek Composite Company Ltd. for supplying brazing materials used to join components in ballistic missile rocket engines, in the production of combustion chambers, and supplying mandrels and other machinery used in the production of solid-propellant rocket motors.