China sanctions 20 US companies!
Beijing, Dec 26 (EFE).-
China announced on Friday sanctions against 20 US companies related to the defense sector and against ten of its top executives for involvement in the supply of arms to Taiwan in recent years.
In a statement published on its official website, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed sanctions against US companies such as Boeing, Northrop Grumman Systems, L3Harris and VSE.
The Foreign Ministry said in another statement that the Taiwan issue was at the core of China’s fundamental interests and the first red line not to be crossed in relations between Beijing and Washington.
According to the announcement, the measures are taken on the basis of Law of the People’s Republic of China on Countering Foreign Sanctions and affect companies considered to be involved in arms sales and military services to Taiwan as well as managers that Beijing considers directly responsible for such operations.
The sanctions include, among other provisions, the prohibition of new investments in China, restrictions on cooperation with Chinese entities and the freezing of assets that may fall under the jurisdiction of the Asian giant.
The Ministry did not detail the specific economic scope of the measures or the volume of operations of the affected companies in the Chinese market, but stressed that any entity or individual involved in the sale of arms to Taiwan would pay a price.
The statement underlined that China would continue to take firm and forceful measures to protect its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.
The Foreign Ministry accused Washington of sending “wrong signals” to pro-independence forces on the island and further urged the United States to put an immediate end to its “dangerous actions.”
The announcement of sanctions comes against a backdrop of growing tension between the two powers over Taiwan, after US President Donald Trump recently signed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026.
The act includes around $1 billion for security cooperation initiatives with the island and strengthens the legal framework for future arms sales to Taipei.
The Chinese countermeasures also come at a time of uncertainty over the latest US notification of possible arms sales to Taiwan, worth approximately $11.1 billion, which includes artillery systems, missiles and support equipment.
Although Washington has already completed the process of notifying the Congress, the operation still requires further administrative steps and its execution depends, on the Taiwanese side, on the approval of a special Defense budget that remains blocked in the island’s parliament, where the opposition controls the majority.
China considers Taiwan an “inalienable part” of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve “reunification,” a position rejected by the Taiwanese government, which argues that only the inhabitants of the island can decide their political future.
The US, for its part, does not maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but is its main supplier of weapons and maintains a policy of strategic ambiguity regarding possible intervention in the event of a conflict. EFE
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