In the waning days of his administration, U.

S President Donald Trump has taken another swipe.

A China.

On Thursday, Trump imposed sanctions on officials and companies for their alleged misdeeds in the South China Sea.

It's a move that rockets up tension just days before President elect Joe Biden takes office.

The South China Sea is resource rich in a key trade route, but sovereignty over those waters is disputed.

Where China facing competing claims from Vietnam, the Philippines and others, the U.

S is slapping visa limits on executives off Chinese state owned enterprises and officials of the Chinese Communist Party on Navy, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the measures target those quote responsible for or complicit in over the large scale reclamation, construction or militarization of disputed outpost in the South China Sea.

China's state oil companies see Knock will also face new sanctions.

It's accused of harassing and threatening offshore oil and gas exploration and extraction in the South China Sea.

The auto also sets its sights on nine Chinese firms, alleging they all have ties to China's military.

The list includes China's homegrown plane maker Komac, but also major smartphone maker Xiaomi.

In a statement, Shami said it was no owned, controlled or affiliated with the Chinese military.

Under the order, US investors would be forced to dump holdings of the black listed firms by November.

The Biden transition team did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Chinese Embassy responded by pointing to previous comments by its foreign Ministry accusing Washington off exploiting its state power to crack down on foreign companies.