List system to forestall and defuse security risks

China plans to establish a list system to ensure national security in technology, amid an expanding trade war with the US that has snared Chinese tech companies.

The National Development and Reform Commission has been tasked with establishing a list system to “more effectively forestall and defuse national security risks,” according to Xinhua news agency.

Detailed measures will be unveiled in the near future.

Trade tensions between Washington and Beijing escalated last month when talks in the US ended without a deal and US President Donald Trump raised tariffs on US$200 billion in Chinese goods.

Beijing retaliated with its own tariff hike on billions worth of US goods.

The US Commerce Department placed Huawei on an “Entity List” on grounds of national security on May 16, a move that curbs its access to US-made components it needs for its equipment.

A 90-day reprieve was later issued.

China accuses the US of wanting to thwart Huawei’s development because the company is the world leader in next-generation 5G mobile technology.

Following Washington’s move, Beijing said it would draw up its own blacklist of “unreliable” foreign companies.