The US government has placed 28 technology firms from Pakistan, China, Russia, and Japan on an export blacklist for allegedly helping develop and dole out military and, in some cases, nuclear projects.
The move, which now makes it impossible for US firms to sell technology to listed companies, has targeted 13 companies in Pakistan, 12 businesses in China, and two connected firms in Japan and Singapore.
According to the Financial Times, the list of sanctioned companies also includes companies in the semiconductor and aerospace industries, in addition to quantum computing.
The purpose of the sanctions is to prevent US firms, suppliers and customers, from establishing any business relationships with the blacklisted organizations in order to stifle the flow of technical expertise, money, and raw materials required for those enterprises to operate at full capacity.
Companies in the United States can seek for a sanction to do business with any of the entities, but they will certainly be denied. The penalties against businesses working on quantum computing technologies have come after the US Treasury Department sanctioned eight Chinese supercomputing companies for allegedly aiding China’s military program.
The following table reveals the names of all 28 companies and the reasons why the United States Commerce Department hit them with sanctions.
Entity | Country | Reason |
---|---|---|
Corad Technology Pte Ltd. | Singapore | Sales of technology from the United States and other Western nations to Iran’s military and space programs, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) front companies, and Chinese government and defense industry subordinate entities. |
Corad Technology Japan K.K. | Japan | Sales of technology from the United States and other Western nations to Iran’s military and space programs, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) front companies, and Chinese government and defense industry subordinate entities. |
Corad Technology (Shenzhen) Ltd.; | China | Sales of technology from the United States and other Western nations to Iran’s military and space programs, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) front companies, and Chinese government and defense industry subordinate entities. |
Hangzhou Zhongke Microelectronics Co., Ltd. | China | Support of the military modernization of the People’s Liberation Army. |
Hunan Goke Microelectronics | China | Support of the military modernization of the People’s Liberation Army. |
New H3C Semiconductor Technologies Co., Ltd. | China | Support of the military modernization of the People’s Liberation Army. |
Xi’an Aerospace Huaxun Technology | China | Support of the military modernization of the People’s Liberation Army. |
Yunchip Microelectronics | China | Support of the military modernization of the People’s Liberation Army. |
Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale | China | Acquiring and attempting to acquire U.S.-origin items in support of military applications. |
QuantumCTek Co. | China | Acquiring and attempting to acquire U.S.-origin items in support of military applications. |
Shanghai QuantumCTeck Co., Ltd. | China | Acquiring and attempting to acquire U.S.-origin items in support of military applications. |
Al-Qertas | Pakistan | Contributions to Pakistan’s unsafeguarded nuclear activities. |
Q&N Traders | Pakistan | Contributions to Pakistan’s unsafeguarded nuclear activities. |
U.H.L. Company | Pakistan | Contributions to Pakistan’s unsafeguarded nuclear activities. |
Jiuding Refrigeration & Air-conditioning Equipment Co (Pvt) Ltd | Pakistan | Contributions to Pakistan’s unsafeguarded nuclear activities. |
K-SOFT Enterprises | Pakistan | Contributions to Pakistan’s unsafeguarded nuclear activities. |
Seljuk Traders (SMC-Private) Limited | Pakistan | Contributions to Pakistan’s unsafeguarded nuclear activities. |
Global Tech Engineers | Pakistan | Contributions to Pakistan’s unsafeguarded nuclear activities. |
Asay Trade & Supplies | Pakistan | Contributions to Pakistan’s unsafeguarded nuclear activities. |
Jade Machinery Pvt. Ltd. | Pakistan | Contributions to Pakistan’s unsafeguarded nuclear activities. |
Shaanxi Zhi En Electromechanical Technology Co., Ltd | China | Contributions to Pakistan’s unsafeguarded nuclear activities. |
Peaktek Company Ltd. | China | Contributions to Pakistan’s unsafeguarded nuclear activities. |
Poly Asia Pacific Ltd. (PAPL) | China | Contributions to Pakistan’s unsafeguarded nuclear activities. |
Broad Engineering | Pakistan | Contributions to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program |
Prime Tech | Pakistan | Procuring items subject to the EAR on behalf of Techlinks, an entity located in Pakistan that was added to the Entity List in September 2018 |
Muhammad Ashraf (Prima Tech employee) | Pakistan | Procuring items subject to the EAR on behalf of Techlinks, an entity located in Pakistan that was added to the Entity List in September 2018 |
Muhammad Farrukh (Prima Tech employee) | Pakistan | Procuring items subject to the EAR on behalf of Techlinks, an entity located in Pakistan that was added to the Entity List in September 2018 |
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology | Russia | Aiding Russia’s military programs. |
Fundamentally, quantum computers are considered an evolutionary step above supercomputers. Experts predict a new-age arms race among the world’s top countries to gain access to the most advanced quantum systems for military, nuclear, and space applications, despite the fact that the technology has been under research and development for decades.
Washington has added the Pakistani companies to its “entity list” for nuclear and ballistic missile development. Besides, it has also added, from Russia, the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology to the list of “military end-users,” making it more difficult to sell military-related technology.