BEIJING--China's commerce ministry said the new blacklist that could be used to punish foreign companies threatening the nation's security doesn't target specific countries or companies, adding that China is still committed to reform and opening up its economy.
Beijing put in place the so-called unreliable entity list last week, a move widely seen to counter U.S. attacks on several Chinese tech firms including Huawei Technologies Co. Companies and individuals would be banned from both selling to and buying from China if they are named on the Chinese entity list, according to the rules. But so far, China has refrained from listing any company.
In response to a question on whether Beijing would include any company in the blacklist, Gao Feng, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, said in a briefing on Thursday that China didn't have any current timeline or company name in mind when it rolled out the rules for the entity list last week. Any inclusion will be up to a company's actions and Chinese authorities will carry out related work based on the rules and laws.
He also noted that the Chinese government is committed to reform and opening up, and will continue to protect legitimate rights of different market players.
"Foreign entities abiding by the laws don't have to worry about it," Mr. Gao said.
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