Tension between Beijing and Washington continues as the US government reportedly put several Chinese firms in its trade blacklist. The US stated that these companies were aiding to develop the Chinese military’s quantum computing efforts, according to Reuters.

As many as eight China-based technology companies were added in the “Entity list” not only for their alleged role in assisting the Chinese military but also acquiring or attempting to acquire “US-origin items in support of military applications”.

In a statement, US commerce secretary Gina Raimondo said the new listings will help prevent the country’s technology from backing the development of Chinese and Russian “military advancement and activities of non-proliferation concern”, including Pakistan’s “unsafeguarded nuclear activities or ballistic missile programme”.

China’s embassy in Washington “firmly” opposed the blacklist move, with spokesperson Liu Pengyu saying that the US uses the “catch-all concept of national security” and “abuses” its power to muzzle and restrain “Chinese enterprises in all possible means”.