The
US government on Thursday blacklisted CNOOC, one of
the largest national oil companies in China, over the country’s actions in
the disputed South China Sea.

The
Commerce Department said it has blacklisted the company over what it called
“belligerent” actions. The State Department restricted visas for the
company’s executives, as well as government and military officials.

“China’s
reckless and belligerent actions in the South China Sea and its aggressive push
to acquire sensitive intellectual property and technology for its
militarization efforts are a threat to US national security and the security of
the international community,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a
statement.

“CNOOC
acts a bully for the People’s Liberation Army to intimidate China’s neighbors,
and the Chinese military continues to benefit from government civil-military
fusion policies for malign purposes,” Ross added.

Also Read: Chinese military says it ‘expelled’ US naval ship from South China Sea

The territorial
dispute has festered for years, with Beijing building a series of artificial
islands to expand its military and commercial reach in the region, ignoring US
protests. China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, including the Spratly
Islands, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim
parts of it.

“CNOOC has
repeatedly harassed and threatened offshore oil and gas exploration and
extraction in the South China Sea, with the goal of driving up the political
risk for interested foreign partners, including Vietnam,” the Commerce
Department said.

It added the aim is
“the preservation of a free and open South China Sea. All nations,
regardless of military and economic power, should be free to enjoy the rights
and freedoms guaranteed to them under international law.”