Citing 'economic coercion', China sanctions more US defense firms
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Three US companies will be added to China's list of sanctioned companies, one of which is Lockheed Martin.
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F-35 fighter jet made by Lockheed Martin (AFP via Getty Images)
China announced on Wednesday sanctions on several US defense firms and their executives in response to what it called Washington's "economic coercion" against Chinese companies and its arms sales to Taiwan.
Beijing also referenced US sanctions on Chinese entities for "so-called Russia-related factors" as a reason for imposing these "countermeasures".
The sanctions were imposed on multiple US defense companies and their executives, which encompass units and individuals affiliated with Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and General Dynamics, as per a statement released by Beijing's Foreign Ministry.
"The US... has indiscriminately imposed unlawful and unilateral sanctions against a number of Chinese entities... while [it] continues to sell arms to the Taiwan region," the statement stressed.
The US arms sales to Taiwan "seriously [violate] the one-China principle..., seriously [interfere] in China's internal affairs and seriously [undermine] China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the statement emphasized.
This comes shortly after China's Commerce Ministry announced on Monday that General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems, and Boeing Defense, Space & Security will be added to Beijing's list of "unreliable entities".
Although Washington shifted diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, it has continued to be Taiwan's primary partner and largest arms provider.
China reaffirms 'One China' policy amid Taiwan's Lai's inauguration
China's top diplomat said on Monday that Taiwan's internal politics does not obstruct the fact that the island and China are one part of a full entity, calling all attempts for its independence "dangerous", specifically after Lai Ching-te was instated as president.
At a meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization foreign ministers held in Kazakhstan, Wang Yi said that Taiwan's efforts for independence were "the most serious challenge to the international order," the "most dangerous change in the status quo," and the main disruptor of peace in the Taiwan Strait.
Wang Yi further asserted that China and Taiwan were one entity as per historical facts, noting that their reunification was inevitable.
When asked about Lai's inauguration, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin warned of the "political manipulation" certain countries exercised regarding the Taiwan issue, which interfered with China's internal politics.
"China strongly condemns this, and will take some necessary measures to resolutely protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.
On Monday, Lai gave his inauguration speech, in which he urged China to "stop threatening Taiwan with war," and to choose dialogue instead of confrontation when it came to Taiwan. He further stated that Taiwan would not be intimidated by China, as it kickstarts a "new era of democracy."
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