Taiwan – China’s foreign ministry said on Friday it has imposed sanctions on 10 individuals and 20 US defence companies, including Boeing’s St. Louis unit, in response to arms sales to Taiwan.
The US State Department strongly criticised the decision, saying the measures would freeze any China-based assets and prohibit Chinese entities from engaging in business with the targeted people and firms.
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China sanctions US defence firms over arms sales to Taiwan
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Washington strongly objects, warning of rising bilateral tensions
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Move follows record US weapons package for Taiwan
China imposed sanctions on US defense firms and individuals in response to arms sales to Taiwan, asserting that provocative actions will provoke a strong reaction from Beijing.
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Individuals on the Chinese list, including the founder of defence firm Anduril Industries and nine senior executives from the sanctioned firms, are also banned from entering China, it added.
Other companies targeted include Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation and L3Harris Maritime Services, and Boeing’s St Louis branch, which focuses on defence work.
The Chinese action appears largely symbolic, given China’s lack of dealings with US defence firms, whereas it has been a major purchaser of Boeing civilian aircraft.
The move follows Washington’s announcement last week of $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, the largest ever US weapons package for the island, drawing Beijing’s ire.
“The Taiwan issue is the core of China’s core interests and the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-US relations,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement on Friday.
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Any provocative actions that cross the line on the Taiwan issue will be met with a strong response from China,” the statement said, urging the US to cease “dangerous” efforts to arm the island.
China views democratically-governed Taiwan as part of its own territory, a claim Taipei rejects.
The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, though such arms sales are a persistent source of friction with China.
The State Department spokesperson said this policy had “remained consistent across nine different US administrations and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
“We strongly object to Beijing’s efforts to retaliate against US companies for their support of US arms sales that support Taiwan’s self-defence capabilities,” the spokesperson said, while urging Beijing to cease military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taipei.
Boeing has been in talks to sell Chinese carriers up to 500 civilian jets, according to a report in September, which would represent a breakthrough for the company in the world’s second-largest aviation market, where orders have stalled amid US-China trade tensions.
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