The U.S. Commerce Department on Feb. 7 announced it has added 33 Chinese entities to its red flag list, warning American companies that they should treat them with extra caution. The majority of the flagged companies are electronic firms, but the list also includes an optics company, a turbine blade company, a state-run university laboratory, and a university department, according to a notice (pdf) in the Federal Register. The red flag list is officially known as the “Unverified List,” meaning that U.S. officials cannot verify the legitimacy of these firms. Additionally, U.S. companies can no longer use license exceptions to export products to any of the companies on the list but instead will need to get a new license. “The ability to verify the legitimacy and reliability of foreign parties receiving U.S. exports through the timely completion of end-use checks is a core principle of our export control system,” Matthew …