China Announces Countermeasures Against US Regulatory and Trade Actions

China's Ministry of Commerce has announced targeted countermeasures against recent regulatory actions by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Homeland Security. The retaliatory steps include tightening export controls on drones and key components to the U.S., suspending factory tracking inspections commissioned to U.S. certification bodies under China Compulsory Certification rules, launching a national security trade investigation into imported printing and copying office equipment, and placing six U.S. entities and compliance testing firms on countermeasure lists.

China's response marks a structured expansion of retaliatory measures into certification compliance, office equipment trade security, and drone technology supply chains, demonstrating a willingness to leverage targeted regulatory tools against U.S. enforcement actions.

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced on August 5 a series of retaliatory measures targeting U.S. entities and regulatory actions, according to reports published by People's Daily. According to a MOFCOM spokesperson, the decision stems from repeated U.S. restrictions that Beijing claims violate consensuses established during the bilateral head-of-state meeting in Busan. MOFCOM highlighted ongoing U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) restrictions spanning telecommunications operations, testing laboratories, drones, consumer routers, and undersea optical cables, alongside recent import restrictions on advanced robotics equipment and power inverters. Furthermore, Beijing cited the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) decision on July 31 to add more than 40 Chinese entities to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List, coming one day after a video conference between U.S. and Chinese trade leaders on July 30. In response, Beijing is implementing five primary countermeasures: 1. Strengthening export controls on drones, critical drone components, and related technology bound for the United States. 2. Suspending factory tracking inspections performed by U.S. certification bodies that were commissioned by designated China Compulsory Certification (CCC) agencies. 3. Placing U.S. compliance testing companies onto an official countermeasure list. 4. Launching a foreign trade national security investigation into imported printing and copying office equipment. 5. Placing six U.S. entities on China's countermeasure list. MOFCOM characterized Beijing's actions as overall restrained, emphasizing that China values the hard-won stability of bilateral economic and trade relations. The spokesperson urged Washington to immediately withdraw its restrictive measures and return to resolving disputes through friendly consultations. However, MOFCOM explicitly warned that should the U.S. insist on introducing new restrictions against China, Beijing will take further counteracting steps.