China expands export controls to 10 U.S. companies and tightens pressure over drone supply chains

China’s Ministry of Commerce has broadened its response to U.S. trade and technology restrictions by maintaining export controls on 10 U.S. companies and adding sanctions against seven U.S. entities tied to Xinjiang-related disputes. Beijing said exports to the United States of drones, related dual-use technologies and key components will face case-by-case licensing review, creating a tighter approval process that can delay shipments and raise supply-chain uncertainty rather than amounting to an outright ban. The latest measures also include the suspension of certain U.S. agencies’ roles in inspecting some Chinese factories and a national security investigation into imported printing equipment. The newly sanctioned entities are Compliance Testing LLC, Applied DNA Sciences, Stratum Reservoir, Altana Technologies, the Responsible Business Alliance, Verité Group, and Human Rights in China. The move follows Washington’s decision to add more than 40 Chinese entities to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act list, after China had already blacklisted 10 U.S. defense and drone-related firms in June 2026. The widening clash underscores how U.S.-China tensions have spread from semiconductors into drones and other dual-use supply chains, with the risk of broader trade frictions if controls later extend to materials such as rare earths or battery inputs.