US imposes sanctions on six Chinese institutes and companies

On Friday evening, hours after news of the second Chinese balloon being destroyed over US airspace, the US added six Chinese aerospace companies to its sanctions list. In addition, the White House announced that these companies will be included in the list of threats to US national security and that sanctions will be imposed on them.

Assistant Secretary of Commerce Don Graves said: "The Department will spare no effort to use all legal means to protect the national security and territorial integrity of the United States. Graves added: The list of sanctioned companies is a powerful tool to identify and punish actors who intend to threaten and harm U.S. national security.

Allen Estevez, US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Affairs, also said: Through these sanctions, the US is clearly declaring that companies intent on harming the national security and territorial integrity of the United States will be denied access to US technology .

A US Air Force F-22 fighter jet attacked and destroyed the second Chinese balloon in the skies off the coast of Alaska at high altitude, White House spokesman John Kirby said on Friday local time. The first consequence of the discovery and launching of Chinese reconnaissance balloons over United States airspace was the postponement of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's visit to Beijing. Blinken has postponed his upcoming trip to China because he didn't want to overreact with his trip and didn't want the balloon issue to dominate his meetings with Chinese officials.