BEIJING, December 5. /TASS/. Beijing has imposed sanctions on 13 US defense companies and six executives over arms sales to Taiwan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced.
The restrictions will take effect on December 5.
The assets of the blacklisted individuals and entities will be frozen, and engaging in business with them will be prohibited; the executives will be barred from entering China, the Foreign Ministry confirmed.
"The US has recently approved another sale of weapons to the Taiwan region of China, a move that blatantly violates the one-China principle and the provisions of three joint China-US communiques," the Foreign Ministry declared. By taking such actions, the US is interfering in China’s domestic affairs and undermining the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the agency asserted.
The blacklisted companies include Teledyne Brown Engineering, BRINC Drones, Rapid Flight, Red Six Solutions, Shield AI, SYNEXXUS, Firestorm Labs, Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems, HavocAI, Neros Technologies, Cyberlux Corporation, Domo Tactical Communications, and Group W. Sanctions have also been levied on Barbara Borgonovi and Gerard Hueber, senior officials at a Raytheon subsidiary; Charles Woodburn, CEO of BAE Systems Land and Armament; Richard Crawford, senior executive at a United Technologies unit; Beth Edler, president of Data Link Solutions; and Blake Resnick, CEO of BRINC Drones.
Weapons sales to Taiwan
In October, the US Department of Defense authorized an arms package for Taiwan valued at nearly $2 billion, including the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) and radar systems.
Chinese President Xi Jinping remarked at a meeting with his US counterpart Joe Biden in Peru on November 17 that if Washington sought to maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait, it should adopt a cautious approach to the issue, explicitly opposing Taipei’s independence and supporting China’s peaceful reunification with the island.
Taiwan has been governed by its local administration since 1949 when the remaining Kuomintang forces, led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975), fled to the island after being defeated in China’s civil war. However, Beijing considers the island to be one of its provinces, a position shared by the majority of countries, including Russia.
Washington severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979, establishing ties with China. While recognizing the One China policy, the US continues to engage with the Taipei administration and provide weapons to the island. According to China’s estimates, the US has provided over $70 billion in military assistance to Taiwan in recent years.