China's Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday added 20 Japanese entities, including Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Shipbuilding Co., to its export control list to safeguard national security and interests and fulfill international obligations such as non-proliferation.
Export operators are prohibited from exporting dual-use items to the entities, which are involved in enhancing Japan's military capabilities. Overseas organizations and individuals are prohibited from transferring or providing dual-use items originating in China to the entities. Any related activities currently underway shall be halted immediately, according to an announcement released by the ministry.
Also on Tuesday, the ministry placed 20 Japanese entities, including SUBARU Corporation, on a watch list, as their end-users and end-uses of dual-use items cannot be verified.
The Ministry of Commerce will implement stricter reviews of end-users and end-uses for exports of dual-use items to entities on the watch list, and will not approve any exports involving Japanese military end-users, military end-uses, or any other end-users and end-use that contribute to enhancing Japan's military capabilities.
A spokesperson for the ministry stated that the aforementioned measures were taken in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, including the country's export control law and the export control regulation for dual-use items.
The objective is to stop Japan's remilitarization and its attempts to possess nuclear weapons, said the spokesperson in response to a media inquiry, stressing that the measures are completely justified, reasonable and lawful.
China's lawful listing actions target only a minority of Japanese entities, and the relevant measures apply solely to dual-use items, said the spokesperson.
This will not affect normal economic and trade exchanges between China and Japan, and Japanese entities that act in good faith and comply with the law have absolutely no cause for concern, the spokesperson said.
China adds 20 Japanese entities to export control list
China adds 20 Japanese entities to export control list
As the diplomatic engagement between the United States and Iran continues despite a faltering ceasefire, a former commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said that Iran is prepared to use military power to break the U.S. maritime blockade should the negotiations collapse or run on too long.
Mohsen Rezaee, who also currently serves as a member of the Iranian Expediency Discernment Council, struck a confident tone about Iran's current trajectory in an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) in Tehran on Wednesday.
He said the country has withstood over two decades of crippling sanctions and continued to move forward.
"We have been under sanctions for more than 20 years. The number of sanctions likely exceeds 2,000, targeting individuals, enterprises, corporations, ships, insurance companies, and even foreign countries that interacted with us. However, we have managed to find solutions to neutralize these sanctions, and we will continue to do so moving forward," he said.
He said Iran aims to ease the sanctions burden through talks with the U.S., although at the same time, he said, Iran is ready to shift to a military response if the path to a peaceful resolution closes.
"Furthermore, we will compel the U.S. to lift these sanctions. We will force the U.S. to end the maritime blockade -- either through negotiations or, should they resist, through direct action and we will attack U.S. warships. Therefore, despite all the pressures, the future of our economy is bright and promising, while the future of the US economy is bleak," he said.
While any new war against Iran would be a dead end, the best way out for the U.S. is to continue talks, according to the senior official.
"We have prepared ourselves so that if the maritime blockade continues beyond a certain timeframe, we will launch an attack and break the blockade. The Americans have no choice but to negotiate. Continuing this war is a journey into a very dark tunnel for the United States. The more America chooses to fight, the deeper it enters a tunnel with no end. Yet for us, the path is perfectly clear. America is moving toward us in the dark, while we are monitoring their every move," he said.
Former IRGC chief says Iran ready to break U.S. naval blockade by force if talks fail
