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The US Department of Commerce added the Chinese state oil and gas corporation CNOOC to a blacklist due to Beijing’s “aggressive actions” in the South China Sea.
“China’s aggressive and reckless actions in the South China Sea, as well as its aggressive push to acquire sensitive intellectual property and technology for militarization efforts, are a threat to security.” Security of the American nation and the international community, “Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said today in a statement.
“The Ocean Petroleum Corporation (CNOOC) plays the role of thug of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to intimidate neighboring countries, and the Chinese army continues to benefit from unification policies. Military – military rule for evil purposes,” he added Ross.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross speaks at a conference in Maryland in 2017. Photo: Reuters.
China claims illegal sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, overlapping the waters of other countries in the region.
“CNOOC has repeatedly harassed and threatened offshore oil and gas exploration and exploitation in the South China Sea, with the aim of causing political risks to interested foreign partners, including Vietnam,” the ministry said. United States trade was emphasized.
The Commerce Department’s decision came after the Treasury Department announced last week that it would add CNOOC to the sanctions list to freeze American assets and ban American companies, including banks. and the company has a branch in the US, doing business with CNOOC.
This move is an increase in sanctions directed at CNOOC. S&P Dow Jones Indices said the company will remove CNOOC from its stock list “on or before February 1.”
CNOOC, China’s third-largest oil and gas corporation, is involved in many oil and gas exploration projects in the US with a production of 76,000 barrels / day. The administration of President Donald Trump last month added CNOOC to a “blacklist” of companies that are owned or controlled by the Chinese military.
CNOOC is the owner of the Hai Duong 981 oil rig that violated Vietnamese waters in 2014. This business is believed to play a direct role in promoting China’s claims in the South China Sea.
The administration of US President Donald Trump is said to have dealt a “blow” to China in the final days of his term, after a tense year and bilateral relations on the brink of the “New Cold War” due to a series of problems. such as Covid-19, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or the South China Sea. The United States has recently increased the dispatch of ships to the South China Sea for free shipping patrol activities, in order to challenge China’s unreasonable claims in the region.
According to analysts, the Trump administration’s strategy of “tying the hands” of President-elect Joe Biden on China policy, leaving him with no choice but to remain tough on Beijing.
Flee him (According to the AFP)
