"We are also concerned that the projects have ties to the China Communications Construction Co., which has been added to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List for its role in helping the Chinese military construct and militarize artificial islands in the South China Sea,” he said.
There was no immediate comment from Chinese government officials.
Chinese companies that have been placed on the list are restricted from trading with any U.S. firms without gaining a nearly unobtainable special license. China protests the U.S. sanctions as illegal.
The state-owned China Communications Construction Co. has said that one of its subsidiaries, China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd., was involved in a project that includes building three artificial islands at the bay near suburban Pasay city in the capital region.