As Marco Rubio has now been confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of State, his sanctions status is in the spotlight again. China has signaled its willingness to engage with Rubio when "necessary" and "appropriate," highlighting the delicate nature of U.S.-China relations.

As part of its third set of additions in 2025, Beijing added another four U.S. firms to one of its sanction lists.

Today, China's Ministry of Commerce added another seven U.S. firms to the unreliable entity list, the second addition of its kind in 2025. China's increased use of sanctions, especially against entities supporting U.S. military aid to Taiwan, indicates a more assertive use of economic

Earlier this month, China’s Ministry of Commerce added another ten U.S. firms to China’s Unreliable Entity List, one of the lists related to economic sanctions.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently announced two sets of sanctions measures, the first in response to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and the second in response to sanctions imposed by Canada.

Last week, the Canadian government sanctioned eight Chinese officials and former officials. This could trigger another round of retaliatory sanctions, as past experience shows that China has responded to foreign sanctions with its own countermeasures, especially since the enactment of its Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law.

The U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added a Chinese company and a Chinese citizen to its sanctions lists, on the basis of a 2020 firewall compromise.