China announces countermeasures including drone export restrictions after US trade sanctions

Published Aug 8, 05:44 PM UTC

China announced a series of countermeasures on August 5, 2026, in response to recent U.S. trade sanctions, including fresh tariffs on China and 59 other countries. Beijing's actions include strengthening export controls on drones and their key components to the United States, 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 due to U.S. actions that 'seriously harm China's legitimate rights and interests.' The move threatens a trade truce reached between Presidents Trump and Xi in October 2025.