China says will take necessary steps to protect its firms after US blacklist report

China will take all necessary measures to protect its companies, the foreign ministry said on Friday when asked about a Reuters report that the United States is set to add more Chinese firms to its economic blacklist.

The Biden administration is expected as early as Friday to add at least 10 more Chinese companies and other entities to the list over alleged human rights abuses and high-tech surveillance in the Chinese region of Xinjiang, the report said.

Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin made the comments at a regular news conference in Beijing on Friday.