Washington:
China is stepping up counterattacks against the United States, including tightening sanctions on American defense companies. In less than a week, the Chinese government today announced a second round of sanctions against 10 US companies. The reason is arms sales to Taiwan.
This means that China has sanctioned or punished a total of 45 US companies (17 companies and 28 entities) with varying degrees of penalties. 17 companies have been sanctioned, while 28 others have been penalized by being added to the export ban list.
The companies sanctioned today include some of the world’s largest defense manufacturers, including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and a subsidiary of General Dynamics.
In a statement released by China’s Ministry of Commerce, all 10 American companies were added to the Chinese government’s list of unreliable companies for “participating in arms sales to Taiwan.” Furthermore, these companies will now be “prohibited from all import and export activities” in the country. Investment in China is also not allowed.
Their senior managers are also banned from entering the country, according to the Chinese government. The latest action against the U.S. company comes just six days after seven other companies were hit with similar sanctions. That included a subsidiary of Boeing Defense called Insitu.
Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China, has become a flashpoint between Beijing and the US government. The Chinese government claims the entire island nation as part of China. Taiwan considers itself an independent nation. China is a communist country, but Taiwan is a democracy.
China has not ruled out the possibility of using force to take over the country. In his New Year’s Eve address to the nation, Chinese President Xi Jinping also issued threats regarding Taiwan and warned those who try to stop it.
China has also conducted three large-scale military exercises since Taiwan’s democratically elected President Lai Ching-de took power in May.
Also read: Xi Jinping’s threat and a brief history of China and Taiwan
For the US government, Taiwan is a strategic ally in Asia, and the US is Taipei’s largest arms supplier. Defending democracy against communism was also a principled decision of the United States, and the Cold War with Russia was entirely based on this principled position.
Demonstrating commitment to Taiwan’s defense, US President Joe Biden agreed to $571 million in defense aid to the island in less than a month.
China and Taiwan both claim sovereignty over the island, but Beijing said, “These actions (by U.S. companies) interfere in China’s internal affairs and undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
In addition to the sanctions, China also added 28 U.S. companies, primarily defense companies, to an export control list and imposed penalties including permanent bans on exporting military and civilian use items.
General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Boeing Defense, Space and Security are among the companies added “to protect national security and interests and to meet international obligations, including nonproliferation,” the department said. It is said to be contained within.
(Information from AFP)
