The United States has expanded its blacklist of companies allegedly linked to the Chinese military, adding four more Chinese organizations, including a major chipmaker and oil giant.

The US must stop abusing the concept of national security, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a briefing in the wake of Washington's move to blacklist four Chinese companies.

According to Hua, China strongly opposes the latest action, which it says will critically damage America's interests and image.

The Trump administration on Thursday blacklisted four Chinese companies, including China’s top chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) and the oil giant China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).

The move, thus, expands the number of companies the US views as being controlled by the Chinese military, bringing the total to 35. The companies on the blacklist are denied full access to US technology and investment.

Beijing has repeatedly condemned Washington's actions, emphasising that the US provides no evidence to support its claims of the Chinese military's control over the blacklisted enterprises.