China’s Foreign Ministry predictably slammed the latest move by the US to impose tougher export restrictions to block Chinese companies from acquiring advanced semiconductors and chipmaking equipment.

The rules require chipmakers to obtain a licence from the US Department of Commerce to export certain advanced chips made outside of the US. The department also added 13 Chinese companies to an export control list, with the measures intended to prevent China’s military from accessing advanced US technology.

The measures add to existing export controls requiring US companies to secure an export licence to ship advanced technologies to Chinese companies deemed a national security risk. The latest move aims to cut China off from importing certain chips made anywhere in the world using US equipment.

Chinese Foreign Ministry representative Mao Ning told a daily briefing on 8 October the US had been “abusing export control measures to wantonly block and hobble Chinese enterprises” to maintain its leadership.

She said such practice runs counter to the principle of fair competition and international trade rules, and will hurt the interests of US companies as much as Chinese.

Mao suggested the US government listen to the “rational and objective voices of the business and academic communities, stop handling China-US relations with the outdated mindset of zero-sum games, and stop letting its China policy be guided by the so-called political correctness”.

The Semiconductor Industry Association issued a statement calling on the US government “to implement the rules in a targeted way, and in collaboration with international partners, to help level the playing field and mitigate unintended harm to US innovation”.

Huawei and chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp were among the first companies to be added to the list.