OREANDA-NEWS. The Bureau of Industry and Security of the United States Department of Commerce has added 24 Chinese companies to the blacklist for their involvement in building artificial islands in the South China Sea.

It is specified in a message published on the website of the Department on August 26 that the mentioned entities assisted the Chinese military in the construction and militarization of the internationally recognized artificial islands. Despite protests from the United States and other countries, Beijing has been building islands since 2013, which has allowed Beijing to undermine the sovereign rights of the partners of Washington in the region.

Blacklisted companies are restricted in exporting, re-exporting and domestic transferring goods subject to export controls.

Since 2013, China has created more than 3 thousand acres of land in the South China Sea, where air defense and anti-ship missiles have been deployed.