BEIJING, China — China on Wednesday sanctioned 12 defense-related U.S. companies and 10 executives over arms sales to Taiwan and to retaliate earlier American sanctions on Chinese companies tied to Russia.
The entities include units of Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, General Dynamics and other companies. Senior executives of Northrop Grumman Corporation and General Dynamics were also targeted. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the measures came after the US “indiscriminately imposed illegal unilateral sanctions on a number of Chinese entities on the grounds of so-called Russian-related factors” and that the US “continued to sell arms to China’s Taiwan region.”
China claims the self-governed island as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary. It has long opposed any weapon sales by the U.S. to the island. While the U.S. does not recognize Taiwan as a country, Washington is obligated by a federal law to ensure the island’s government has the means to defend itself.
The measures come in addition to those announced last year that barred Lockheed Martin Corp. and Raytheon Technologies Corp.’s Raytheon Missiles and Defense from importing goods into China or making new investments in the country.