08/01/2002
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-10041

SANCTIONS ON CHINESE COMPANIES

The United States has imposed sanctions on eight Chinese entities for selling Iran or Iraq advanced conventional weapons or materials that could be used to make weapons of mass destruction. Also sanctioned were two individuals -- Q.C. Chen, a Chinese citizen, and Hans Raj Shiv, formerly of India and now thought to be in the Middle East.

The sanctions were imposed under the 1992 Iran-Iraq Non-Proliferation Act, the 1991 Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act, or both. Under the Iran-Iraq act, for a period of two years, the U.S. government will not buy any goods, services, or technology from the sanctioned entities or persons, or issue any licenses for any export by or to the sanctioned entities or persons. The chemical and biological weapons sanctions law prohibits the U.S. government from buying any goods or services from the sanctioned entities, and prohibits the importation into the U.S. of any products produced by these entities. The sanctions remain in place for at least one year or until further notice.

The U.S. is determined to keep nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons away from states that might use them to threaten the rest of the world or provide them to terrorists. Iran and Iraq are countries of particular concern. Both are on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, along with North Korea, Syria, Libya, Sudan, and Cuba.

The U.S. believes that Iran has produced biological agents and made them into weapons. Moreover, as John Bolton, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, said, Iran’s biological warfare program "is complemented by an even more aggressive chemical warfare program, Iran’s ongoing interest in nuclear weapons, and its aggressive ballistic missile research, development and flight-testing regimen."

In the case of Iraq, said Mr. Bolton, "The U.S. strongly suspects that [the Saddam Hussein regime] has taken advantage of more than three years of no United Nations inspections to improve all phases of its offensive biological weapons program. Iraq has also developed, produced, and stockpiled chemical weapons, and shown a continuing interest in developing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles."

The United States remains committed to working with allies and international organizations to check the spread of biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons and to ensure that all peoples can live without fear of these pernicious weapons.