BEIJING, China: China announced on Monday that it would impose sanctions on three US defence companies—General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems, and Boeing Defence, Space & Security—due to their sales of arms to Taiwan. These firms will be added to Beijing’s list of “unreliable entities,” according to the country’s commerce ministry.
The sanctioned companies will be prohibited from participating in China-related import or export activities and are forbidden from making new investments in China. Additionally, senior executives from these firms will be barred from entering China, and their work permits will be revoked, as reported by the state-run Xinhua news agency.
This announcement coincided with the inauguration of Lai Ching-te as the new president of Taiwan, amid increasing military pressure from China. China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, has labeled 64-year-old Lai a “dangerous separatist” who could lead the island into “war and decline.”
Despite the United States switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, it has continued to be Taiwan’s most crucial partner and largest arms supplier. A major military aid package worth $1.9 billion for Taiwan’s resupply of military hardware and training, as well as an extra $2 billion for “foreign military financing” for neighboring nations, was approved by the US last month.
The US military aid plan has drawn heavy criticism from China, which has warned that it will increase the “risk of conflict” across the disputed areas.
