China tells U.S. to 'correct its wrongdoings' over Cuba-related sanctions on two Chinese firms

As of 10:40 p.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026

China has demanded that the United States "correct its wrongdoings as soon as possible" after Washington sanctioned two Chinese companies it accuses of supplying equipment to Cuba's military.

"The United States has imposed unilateral sanctions on Chinese companies on the grounds that it involves a third party, which violates international law and basic norms governing international relations. China firmly opposes this," a Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said Saturday, Nov. 7, in a published question-and-answer, according to an English version carried by state broadcaster CCTV.

The spokesperson said Beijing "reserves the right to take necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests." The ministry did not announce any specific countermeasure.

What Washington did

On Nov. 5, the State Department designated China National Electronic Import and Export Company (CEIEC) and Beijing H&C Technologies Co., Ltd. under Executive Order 14404, a Cuba sanctions order, according to a department fact sheet. The two were among eight entities and two individuals designated that day, along with five vessels identified as blocked property, in a package Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced.

The department alleged that CEIEC, a state-owned enterprise that exports defense electronics and security systems, contracted with the Cuban arms procurement firm Sociedad Mercantil Duna S.A. to export components for military equipment used by Cuba's Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces in 2026. It said Beijing H&C Technologies, which it described as a subsidiary of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation's international arm that sells surveillance and security equipment, worked with the same Cuban firm to export military equipment to Cuba this year.

CEIEC was already under U.S. sanctions: the Treasury Department designated it in November 2020 over alleged support for Venezuela's Maduro government in restricting internet service and conducting digital surveillance, the fact sheet said.

The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control added both Chinese companies to its Specially Designated Nationals list on Nov. 5 and published a determination that allows sanctions on any foreign person operating in Cuba's electronics, manufacturing, marine and technology sectors, according to OFAC's notice.

Why it matters

Under the designations, any property of the companies in the United States or held by U.S. persons is blocked, and Americans are generally barred from dealing with them, the State Department said. It warned that non-U.S. persons, including foreign financial institutions, should proceed with caution in dealings with parties sanctioned under the order.

Beijing framed the move as part of a broader pattern. The commerce spokesperson said Washington "has escalated its sanctions and suppression on China" and introduced "a number of discriminatory restrictive measures," which the ministry said deviate from "the important consensus reached by the two heads of state" and undermine the stability of economic and trade ties.

The state-run China Daily reported that China "voiced firm opposition" to the sanctions, quoting the spokesperson as urging Washington to "promptly correct its wrongful practices" — a slightly different English rendering of the same Chinese-language statement.

The State Department said it was "taking aim at Cuba's foreign backers," and Rubio said those backers "supply the military equipment that helps sustain the regime's military forces." The State Department said U.S. authorization of humanitarian trade with Cuba, including food and medicine, continues.

GROKsiNEWS.com did not find a statement from China's Foreign Ministry or a public response from either company as of publication.