China, on U.S. utilities import ban, says it opposes U.S. smearing it without evidence

China said on Friday it firmly opposes the United States smearing China without evidence, in response to Washington banning utilities that supply electricity to U.S. defense facilities from buying power grid equipment from China. China urges the United States to stop its unjustified crackdown on Chinese firms, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular briefing.

The U.S. energy secretary on Thursday signed an order prohibiting electric utilities that supply critical defense facilities from importing certain power system items from China, in an effort to protect U.S. security from cyber and other attacks.