(Bloomberg) -- The US has added four Chinese companies to an export blacklist for buying US-origin goods to support China’s military modernization efforts, the Department of Commerce said in a statement published Thursday.

There is a “presumption of denial” for applications to export to the four companies, according to the statement, meaning they will likely be unable to purchase US-origin items in the future. The companies are involved in providing AI chips to the Chinese military, according to a Reuters report of comments from Kevin Kurland, an export enforcement official with the department’s Bureau of Industry and Security.

The entity list has been used for years as one of Washington’s main tools for sanctioning and punishing people, companies or other organizations in China and elsewhere on national security grounds. US President Joe Biden has stepped up use of the list to curb Chinese companies in the years since he took office.

Read More: US Removal of Chinese Lab From Entity List Marks Rare Reversal

The affected companies are LINKZOL (Beijing) Technology Co., Xi’an Like Innovative Information Technology Co., Beijing Anwise Technology Co. and SITONHOLY (Tianjin) Co.

Beijing has said the entity list policy and other sanctions are an attempt to stop its development and hurt its firms. Entities are rarely removed once added, although in an unusual concession, the US removed a Chinese government laboratory from the list as part of a deal to combat the fentanyl crisis.

The Commerce Department also banned exports to two other Chinese firms, one for supporting Russian military procurement and one for trying to help Iran buy components for unmanned aerial vehicles.

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