China announces countermeasures in response to U.S. trade sanctions

Published Aug 5, 12:07 PM UTC

China announced a series of countermeasures on August 5, 2026, in response to recent U.S. trade sanctions and tariffs imposed on China and 59 other countries over forced labor and national security concerns. Beijing's actions include strengthening export controls on drones and their key components to the U.S., suspending factory follow-up inspections by Chinese certification bodies, blacklisting U.S. compliance testing companies, and launching national security investigations into imports of office printers and copiers. China also imposed sanctions on six U.S. businesses, including Applied DNA Sciences and Stratum Reservoir, barring Chinese entities from transactions with them. The Commerce Ministry stated these measures are necessary to protect China's legitimate rights and interests, warning against a trade war. The move threatens a truce reached between Presidents Trump and Xi in October 2025.