China criticized Friday the U.S. decision to impose sanctions on the state-owned North China Industries Corporation (Norinco) for allegedly aiding Iran’s ballistic missile efforts (see GSN, May 24).

The sanctions, which took effect May 9, prohibit Norinco from entering into contracts with the United States or importing goods into the country for two years.  In addition, the U.S. State Department has also suspended all defense-related export licenses for the company.

“The United States is imposing its national policies on others, and the implementation of sanctions is entirely unreasonable,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

In its statement, the ministry said that Chinese missile-related export controls were being effectively enforced and denied that Norinco had aided the Iranian missile program (see GSN, Sept. 3, 2002).

“The Chinese government has consistently carried out measures to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them, and opposes any method used by any organization to engage in their spread,” the ministry said.  “The related Norinco company has not supplied any assistance to the relevant project in Iran,” it said (John Pomfret, Washington Post, May 24).

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