China accuses US of power abuse with expanded blacklist of Chinese firms

China has warned of a strong response to the US Defense Department's expanded blacklist of Chinese companies. Beijing accuses Washington of using national security as a pretext to hinder the growth of Chinese firms. The US Defense Department updated its Section 1260H list on Monday, increasing the number of named entities to 188 from 134. The list identifies companies the department states are "Chinese military companies" operating in the United States, either directly or indirectly. Many of China's major technology and industrial companies are included on this updated roster.