Biden widens list of Chinese firms off-limits for investment

President Joe Biden has nearly doubled the list of Chinese companies whose shares are off-limits to U.S. investors

President Joe Biden has nearly doubled the list of Chinese companies whose shares are off-limits to U.S. investors in the latest sign he is not softening Washington's stance toward Beijing. An executive order issued late Thursday says it aims to “solidify and strengthen” an order signed last year by his predecessor Donald Trump by strengthening controls on investments in Chinese companies that the U.S. says are linked to defense and surveillance. The intension is to “ensure that U.S. investments are not supporting Chinese companies that undermine the security or values of the United States and our allies," the order says. The revised list includes companies that Washington alleges contribute to surveillance of religious and ethnic minorities or to repression and “serious human rights abuses.”