BEIJING – China on Wednesday expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition after the US Department of Defense placed some Chinese research institutions on a sanctions list, the Ministry of Commerce said.

China will take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese research institutions and ensure a sound environment for normal scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation, a ministry spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the United States has continuously overstretched the concept of national security, erected discriminatory barriers, and politicized, weaponized and instrumentalized scientific research cooperation.

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The US moves undermine the exchanges and cooperation between the two countries' scientific communities and run counter to the global trend of international collaboration in scientific and technological innovation, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson urged the United States to stop making unwarranted accusations against Chinese research institutions, correct its erroneous practices as soon as possible, and provide Chinese research institutions with fair, just and non-discriminatory treatment.