China: US undermining global trade with sanctions against Huawei

China said Tuesday the Trump administration is undermining global trade with sanctions against telecommunications company Huawei. 

The Chinese foreign ministry reportedly demanded that U.S. officials “stop suppressing Chinese companies” in comments one day after the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security announced further steps to push against Huawei and blacklisted 38 Huawei affiliate groups. 

Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the U.S. is “violating international trade rules, and undermining the global industrial chain, supply chain, and value chain,” according to The Associated Press. 

Zhao also warned that Beijing will “take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.”

The U.S. on Monday expanded a previous decision by the Commerce Department in May to restrict Huawei’s ability to use American software and technology to manufacture semiconductors or chips. The new step is intended to limit Huawei’s access to chips by restricting its ability to purchase chips created by a foreign company with the use of American software or technology. 

It follows multiple other actions against Huawei over the past year, and comes as the Trump administration has increasingly cracked down on Chinese firms in the U.S. 

Trump issued an executive order last week ordering Chinese group ByteDance to divest itself from U.S. operations of the popular video app TikTok within 90 days.