China on Thursday said it was adding dozens of American companies to its export control list to "safeguard national security and interests." China's Ministry of Commerce said it would impose measures on 28 U.

Imports from China to the U.S. have cost Americans millions of manufacturing jobs. But building a trade wall around America — as President-elect Donald Trump proposes — will hurt American consumers and U.

The move was the latest escalation in the back and forth between Beijing and Washington over products considered vital to national security.

While Trump's proposed tariffs aim to contain China and compel better behavior, they are accidentally playing into ambitions of China.

American companies have largely gone silent about the importance of the U.S.-China relationship—they no longer see China as the land of opportunity.

The companies have found plenty of new channels to the U.S. market — demonstrating the potential limits of the tariffs Donald Trump has promised to impose.