China says firmly opposes new U.S. sanctions

BEIJING (Reuters) - China firmly opposes new sanctions by the United States on its companies, the foreign ministry said on Friday, after the Trump administration added nine Chinese firms to the Pentagon's list of companies with alleged ties to the Chinese military.

Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made the comment at a news briefing in Beijing.

(This story corrects Corrects to remove reference to South China Sea measures)

(Reporting by Cate Cadell; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)