Seven Chinese companies have been penalized by the United States for selling ballistic missile technology to Iran.

The Bush administration published the sanctions earlier this month in the U.S. Federal Register, the official list of government rules and regulations.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Kong Quan Tuesday criticized the U.S. action, saying it was based on no real evidence. He said Beijing will crack down on the companies if they have violated Chinese laws against proliferation.

The sanctions, which took effect late last month, were imposed under a U.S. law that bars companies which export missile technology to Iran from doing business with the U.S. government.

In addition to the seven Chinese firms, one company in Taiwan and one in North Korea have also been penalized.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.