Any sanctions on US companies would be a “last resort” because China “is in desperate need of foreign investment from rich countries for both economic and political reasons”.
Meanwhile, China prevented US airline flights into the country for more than two months and, after the US imposed visa restrictions on Chinese journalists, it expelled American journalists.
Although China didn’t identify companies on the list, the Global Times has cited a source close to the Chinese government as saying US bellwethers such as Apple and Qualcomm could be targeted.
Now, in what appears to be a staged de-escalation, China gave US passenger carriers permission to operate four weekly flights to the country and earlier this month, the Trump administration matched the move by also authorising four flights from Chinese airlines.
After the US designated five Chinese media companies as “foreign missions”, China revoked press credentials for three Wall Street Journal staff members over an article with a headline describing China as the “real sick man of Asia”.
