'Additional Sanctions on Chinese Companies over Facebook Lawsuit'... Trump Hits 'Immigration and China' Until the End

Zhongshinguoji·CNOOC and Other Major Chinese Companies Added to Blacklist
Facebook Sued for Prioritizing Immigrant Employment; Citizenship Test Difficulty Increased

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The Donald Trump administration in the United States is making every effort to target China and build barriers against immigrants until the very end of its term. Following the addition of Chinese companies to the blacklist, it has filed lawsuits against IT companies that have hired immigrants. This is being seen as a 'nail-driving' strategy to prevent President-elect Joe Biden from reversing these policies after taking office.

On the 3rd (local time), the U.S. Department of Defense announced that it had added four Chinese companies?semiconductor company SMIC (Zhongxin Guoji), oil company China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), China International Electronic Commerce Center Group (CIECC), and construction technology company (CCT)?to the blacklist subject to regulation. The Department of Defense classified these companies as owned by or influenced by the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Investments by U.S. investors, such as stock purchases, are restricted for these companies.

Adding China's representative companies SMIC and CNOOC to the blacklist is analyzed as a decisive blow in the Trump administration's crackdown on Chinese companies. Previously, the U.S. Department of Commerce had also placed SMIC on the blacklist, citing the possibility of its use for military purposes.

The Commerce Department's measure banned transactions with U.S. companies, and with this Department of Defense action, it can be seen as blocking not only transactions but also financing.

With this action, the total number of companies on the blacklist has increased to 35. Some foreign media predicted that this move would escalate tensions with China before President-elect Biden's inauguration. The intention is to create a tough atmosphere toward China so that the Biden administration will not easily change these measures once it takes office.

The State Department also introduced additional restrictions by shortening the validity period of B1 and B2 U.S. visitor visas, which can be obtained by Chinese Communist Party members or their immediate family members, from the existing 10 years to 1 month. The number of times they can enter the U.S. with a visitor visa was also limited to once. Approximately 270 million Chinese people are affected by this measure.

President Trump's representative anti-immigration policy is also being further solidified.

On the same day, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Facebook, alleging that it discriminated against American workers by hiring foreigners for high-paying jobs. In the complaint, the Department of Justice claimed that Facebook created separate hiring procedures for foreign technical workers holding specific visas such as the H-1B professional employment visa and sponsored them to obtain permanent residency.

The Department of Justice's position is that Facebook hired foreigners instead of American workers for more than 2,600 jobs. The Department of Justice argued, "Facebook deliberately created a hiring system that does not give qualified American workers a fair chance to learn about and apply for jobs."

To continue the anti-immigration stance, the U.S. administration also raised the difficulty and standards of the citizenship test. Previously, passing the test required answering at least 6 out of 10 questions correctly, but under the new regulations implemented this month, 12 out of 20 questions must be answered correctly. For the question asking for the names of the 13 original states at the founding of the United States, previously naming 3 states was sufficient to pass, but from this month, 5 states must be named. The New York Times (NYT) predicted, "The number of answers requiring sentences instead of short answers has increased, and understanding the meaning of English words is necessary," forecasting a lower pass rate. The previous pass rate was 91%. Immigration-related organizations expressed concerns that the revised citizenship test would disadvantage poor immigrants from non-English-speaking countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.