The entities include units of Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, General Dynamics and other companies. Senior executives of Northrop Grumman Corporation and General Dynamics also were targeted.
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 latest round of sanctions, imposed under China's Anti-Foreign Sanction Law, will freeze all assets by the businesses inside China and denying the individuals and their immediate family members visas to enter the country, including Hong Kong and Macau. The businesses and individuals will also be banned from doing any business with Chinese firms. It wasn’t immediately clear what impact these actions would have, but such sanctions are often mainly symbolic in nature.