In response to US arms sales to Taiwan and US sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals, China announces sanctions on five US defense companies.
BEIJING – China on Sunday announced sanctions against five U.S. defense companies in response to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and U.S. sanctions against Chinese companies and individuals.
The foreign ministry said in a statement posted online that the sanctions freeze any assets the company has in China and prohibit organizations and individuals in China from doing business with the company.
It is unclear how the sanctions will affect the following companies: BAE Systems Land and Armaments, Alliant Techsystems Operations, AeroVironment, ViaSat and Data Link Solutions. Such sanctions are often largely symbolic, as U.S. defense contractors typically do not sell to China.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the US measures harm China’s sovereignty and security interests, undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and violate the rights and interests of Chinese businesses and individuals.
“The Chinese government remains unwavering in its determination to safeguard national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and citizens,” the ministry said in a statement.
The announcement came less than a week before Taiwan’s presidential election. The election is primarily about how the government should manage its relationship with China. China claims the autonomous island as its own territory and says Taiwan should be under its control. rule.
China’s Foreign Ministry has not said which arms deals or which U.S. sanctions China is responding to, but spokesperson Wang Wenbin said three weeks ago that Washington announced a $300 million military package against Taiwan in December. China has threatened to take countermeasures in response to the approval.
The agreement includes equipment, training, and equipment repairs to maintain Taiwan’s command, control, and military communications capabilities.
The United States said the sale would help modernize Taiwan’s military and maintain a reliable defense. “The proposed sale will improve the recipient nation’s ability to address current and future threats by enhancing operational readiness,” a Pentagon Defense Security Cooperation Agency news release said.
Taiwan is a major flashpoint in U.S.-China relations, and analysts fear a military conflict between the two countries could explode. China claims that the US arms sales to Taiwan amount to interference in its internal affairs.
The Chinese military regularly dispatches fighter jets and ships to waters surrounding Taiwan, in part to prevent the Taiwanese government from officially declaring independence. Although an invasion does not seem imminent, constant military activity is a reminder that the threat is always present.
The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, but Taiwan is bound by its own laws to ensure its ability to defend itself. The United States and its allies are sailing warships through the Taiwan Strait, the 160-kilometer (100-mile) wide waterway that separates Taiwan from China.
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The year the United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China was revised to 1979.