On Wednesday, August 5th, 2026, China’s Commerce Ministry announced a series of economic countermeasures against the United States. These include controls on exports of drones to the U.S. and bans on business dealings with six to seven American entities. The sanctions respond to recent U.S. actions, notably the Federal Communications Commission's ban on imports of Chinese drones and the Department of Homeland Security’s addition of 43 Chinese companies to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act entity list, which aims to block imports of goods made with forced labor.

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation also declared that U.S. firms conducting factory inspections for China Compulsory Certification (CCC) can no longer perform these inspections or provide certifications. The CCC is a product quality and safety standard similar to European Union certification systems.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian commented on the U.S. tariffs, stating, “tariff wars and trade wars do not serve any parties’ interests.” The Commerce Ministry described the U.S. measures as violations of the consensus reached by the two heads of state and damaging to China’s legitimate rights and interests, leaving China with no choice but to take necessary countermeasures.

China emphasized it is acting with restraint and urged the U.S. to rescind its measures and cease what it called “erroneous practices,” warning of further sanctions if new restrictive actions are taken. These developments come more than a month before Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit the United States.

Sources