China Sanctions Five US Defense Companies in Response to New Arms Sales to Taiwan

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - China has sanctioned five US defense industry companies in response for new US arms sales to Taiwan by freezing those entities' property in China and barring organizations and individuals in the Asian nation from transactions and cooperation with them, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Sunday.

"China has decided to sanction five US defense industry companies, namely BAE Systems Land and Armament, Alliant Techsystems Operation, AeroVironment, ViaSat and Data Link Solutions. The countermeasures consist of freezing the properties of those companies in China, including their movable and immovable property, and prohibiting organizations and individuals in China from transactions and cooperation with them," the spokesperson said in a statement.

The US weapons sales to Taiwan violate the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-US joint communiques, the statement read. Moreover, the "illegal unilateral sanctions" that the US has imposed on Chinese companies and individuals "under various false pretexts," harm China's sovereignty and security interests, "undermine" the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and "violate the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies," the statement said.

"We urge the United States to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, observe international law and the basic norms governing international relations, stop arming Taiwan, and stop targeting China with illegal unilateral sanctions. Otherwise there will be strong and resolute response from China," the statement added.

Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing regards the island as its province, while Taiwan maintains that it is an autonomous entity but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official foreign contacts with Taipei and regards Chinese sovereignty over the island as indisputable.

The latest escalation around Taiwan started in April 2023 after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with then-US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the United States. Beijing responded by launching massive three-day military drills near the island in what it called a warning to Taiwanese separatists and foreign powers. In August and September, the Taiwanese armed forces reported multiple sightings of Chinese naval and air patrols in the island's vicinity. On September 18, the ministry reported a record high of 103 Chinese aircraft seen near the island in one day.