U.S. Blacklists Major Chinese Oil Firm Over S. China Sea ‘Coercion’

In this file photo from Wednesday, June 15, 2016, an F/A-18 Hornet takes off the deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the USS John C. Stennis during joint military exercise between the United States, Japan and India off the coast 180 miles east of Japan's southernmost island of Okinawa. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)

TOKYO (Kyodo) — The U.S. government said Thursday that it is taking further actions to preserve a “free and open” South China Sea such as by adding major oil company China National Offshore Oil Corp. to its economic blacklist.

The measure, which came just days before the end of the administration of President Donald Trump, was taken against the company in light of its role in Beijing’s campaign of “coercion against other claimants of an estimated $2.5 trillion in South China Sea oil and gas resources,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

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