By Islamuddin Sajid
ISLAMABAD (AA) - The United States has imposed sanctions on Chinese suppliers and a Pakistani entity for their alleged involvement in Pakistan’s ballistic missile program, a US official said on Thursday.
In a statement, the US Department of State announced sanctions against five entities and one individual, accusing them of transferring missile technology and equipment in violation of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).
Among those sanctioned is the Beijing Research Institute of Automation for Machine Building Industry (RIAMB), which the US says is linked to Pakistan's National Development Complex (NDC), a key player in the development of Pakistan's long-range ballistic missiles.
The sanctions also target three other China-based entities, one Chinese individual, and a Pakistani entity, all accused of supporting Pakistan's missile program.
“These sanctions are being imposed because these entities and the individual knowingly transferred equipment and technology controlled under the MTCR Annex to a non-MTCR country,” the statement said.
The sanctions follow a similar US action in April, when Washington blacklisted four companies from Belarus and China for supplying missile-applicable items to Pakistan's long-range missile program.
The companies included the Belarus-based Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant and China-based Xi’an Longde Technology Development Company Limited, among others.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, did not respond to Anadolu’s request for comment on the latest sanctions.