S&P and Dow Jones remove Chinese firms from indexes following Trump administration order

The S&P and the Dow Jones Industrial Average on Thursday removed some Chinese firms from their indices, following an executive order from the Trump administration.

The administration order was issued last month and intends to limit the number of shares U.S. investment firms can buy of Chinese companies that the Defense Department determined were backed by the Chinese military.

The House last week unanimously passed a bill to delist Chinese companies from U.S. stock exchanges if the companies are not entirely in compliance with federal auditing rules. 

A spokesperson for the Chinese government said of the S&P and Dow delistings, "This is yet another example of how the United States uses the power of the state to oppress Chinese companies. We believe these endless lies and this suppression of Chinese firms will eventually work against U.S. interests."