On September 25, the Ministry of Commerce issued an announcement deciding to add three US entities to the export control list and activate the “Unreliable Entity List” to impose sanctions on three companies involved in arms sales to Taiwan.
The Ministry of Commerce Announcement No. 51 of 2025 shows that, in accordance with the relevant provisions of laws and regulations such as the “Export Control Law of the People’s Republic of China” and the “Regulations on the Export Control of Dual-Use Items of the People’s Republic of China,” and to safeguard national security and interests and fulfill international non-proliferation obligations, it has been decided to add three US entities—Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc., Planate Management Group, and Global Dimensions LLC—to the export control list and implement the following measures:
The export of dual-use items to the aforementioned three US entities is prohibited; relevant ongoing export activities must cease immediately. In special circumstances where export is genuinely necessary, export operators must apply to the Ministry of Commerce.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce pointed out that China has decided to add the three US entities that endanger China’s national security and interests to the export control list, prohibiting the export of dual-use items to them. No export operator may violate the above regulations.
It is understood that Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) is the largest military shipbuilding company in the United States, providing professional services to the US government and industrial partners. HII was established on March 31, 2011, after being spun off from Northrop Grumman’s shipbuilding division, and ranks 371st on the Fortune 500 list. The company has three divisions: Newport News Shipbuilding, Ingalls Shipbuilding, and Mission Technologies.
Among them, HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia, is the sole producer of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the United States and also builds strategic and attack nuclear submarines; Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, primarily builds surface warships and amphibious assault ships. The variety of ships built by these two shipyards exceeds that of any other US naval shipyard.
HII’s Mission Technologies division provides services including joint warfare command support, naval ship services, Air Force and Air National Guard training support, software engineering and IT solutions, information security, other Department of Defense training, unmanned systems, intelligence analysis, Department of Energy nuclear operations, nuclear manufacturing, and oil and gas services.
On the same day, the Ministry of Commerce issued the Unreliable Entity List Working Mechanism [2025] No. 9. To safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and in accordance with relevant laws such as the “Foreign Trade Law of the People’s Republic of China,” the “National Security Law of the People’s Republic of China,” and the “Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law of the People’s Republic of China,” the Unreliable Entity List Working Mechanism, based on the relevant provisions of Articles 2, 8, and 10 of the “Provisions on the Unreliable Entity List,” decided to add three entities—Saronic Technologies, Inc., Aerkomm Inc., and Oceaneering International, Inc.—to the Unreliable Entity List and implement the following handling measures:
The aforementioned enterprises are prohibited from engaging in import and export activities related to China; the aforementioned enterprises are prohibited from making new investments within China. Matters not covered in this announcement shall be handled in accordance with the “Provisions on the Unreliable Entity List.” This announcement takes effect from the date of its issuance.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce stated that in recent years, the three companies—Saronic Technologies, Inc., Aerkomm Inc., and Oceaneering International, Inc.—disregarding China’s strong opposition, have engaged in so-called military-technical cooperation with Taiwan, seriously damaging China’s national sovereignty, security, and development interests. China, in accordance with laws such as the “Foreign Trade Law of the People’s Republic of China,” the “National Security Law of the People’s Republic of China,” and the “Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law of the People’s Republic of China,” and based on the provisions of Article 2 of the “Provisions on the Unreliable Entity List,” will hold them legally accountable in accordance with the law.
China has always handled Unreliable Entity List issues prudently, targeting only a very small number of foreign entities that endanger our national security according to the law. Honest and law-abiding foreign entities have no need for concern whatsoever. The Chinese government, as always, welcomes enterprises from all over the world to invest and do business in China and is committed to providing a stable, fair, and predictable business environment for law-abiding and compliant foreign-funded enterprises operating in China.
It is understood that Saronic Technologies, Inc. was founded in 2022 by former Navy SEAL Dino Mavrookas and is headquartered in Austin, Texas, USA. It specializes in designing and manufacturing Autonomous Surface Vessels (ASVs) for maritime security and domain awareness. These vessels are designed to enhance naval capabilities through swarm operations, providing cost-effective and scalable solutions to modern maritime challenges faced by the US Navy and its allies.
Oceaneering International, Inc. was founded in 1969 through the merger of three diving service companies and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1991. Its main business covers the offshore energy, defense, and aerospace sectors, with core divisions including the Subsea Robotics division (its largest revenue source) and the Aerospace and Defense Technologies division. As a global provider of engineered services and products for the oilfield, its business focuses on offshore oil and deepwater natural gas industries, involving remotely operated vehicles, supply of subsea equipment, and deepwater oilfield drilling.
Previously, on December 27, 2024, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in accordance with the “Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law,” imposed countermeasures against Saronic Technologies, Inc., Aerkomm Inc., Oceaneering International, Inc., and related senior executives, freezing their property in China and prohibiting transactions and cooperation, due to their involvement in arms sales to Taiwan and violation of the principles of the Sino-US Joint Communiqués.
