The export controls will subject any shipments of “drones, their key components and related technologies” to the US to “strict case-by-case scrutiny”, with the measures set to take effect immediately, the ministry said in a statement, citing the need to “safeguard national security and meet China’s international commitments on non-proliferation”, the South China Morning Post reported.

On the same day, the commerce ministry also added six US entities to its countermeasures list – banning Chinese entities and individuals from cooperating with them – over allegations that they had assisted US sanctions related to China’s Western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, describing their conduct as “egregious”.

A seventh US company, Compliance Testing LLC, was added to China’s countermeasures list for assisting the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in introducing measures that “endanger China’s sovereignty”.

The measures are a response to a string of recent actions by the US authorities.

Last week, Washington added 43 Chinese companies to its own entity list under the Uygur Forced Labor Prevention Act, covering sectors ranging from food and cotton to pharmaceuticals, metals and lithium production. Beijing has repeatedly denied allegations of forced labor in Xinjiang.

Meanwhile, the FCC banned the import and sale of new foreign-made robotic devices and power inverters, two sectors where China is a leading global player.