China to take measures to protect Chinese companies after U.S. ban

BEIJING, China

China's Ministry of Commerce on Thursday pledged necessary measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies after the U.S. banned new equipment sales from five Chinese firms.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission issued a ban last Friday on importing and selling telecommunications equipment of five Chinese companies including Huawei and ZTE, alleging they pose an "unacceptable risk" to U.S. national security.

Huawei and ZTE have repeatedly opposed U.S. restrictions and denied that they threaten U.S. security.

Ministry spokesperson Shu Jueting said at a press conference that China firmly opposes the U.S. generalizing the concept of national security and abusing state power to maliciously suppress Chinese companies and urged the U.S. side to immediately correct its wrong practices.

The move will not only damage the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies but will also affect the interests of American companies and consumers and disrupt the international economic and trade order, which does no good for either country or the world at large, Shu said.