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China on Friday criticised a proposal by a United States regulator to restrict Chinese laboratories from testing electronic devices for use in the US, warning that the move could strain trade relations.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted on Thursday to advance the proposal, which would affect a wide range of products, including smartphones and cameras.
China’s commerce ministry said in a statement that the restrictions would “seriously undermine the international economic and trade order.”
It warned that Beijing would take necessary steps to protect the interests of its companies if the measure is implemented.
“If the US insists on going down the wrong path, China will resolutely take necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises,” the ministry said.
The ministry also accused the US regulator of imposing repeated restrictions on Chinese firms and products, arguing that such actions run counter to previous agreements between the leaders of both countries.
“These… undermine the hard-won stability in China-US economic and trade relations, run counter to the consensus reached by the two heads of state,” it stated.
The proposal, which the FCC says aimed to prioritise national security, comes a year after the agency adopted rules to ban test labs “owned or controlled by foreign adversaries”.
According to FCC, under the plan, laboratories in countries without mutual recognition agreements with the United States would no longer be approved to test and certify devices for the US market.
China does not have such a pact with the FCC, according to its website.
If approved, products tested and certified in affected labs would be phased out over two years after final rules are implemented.
