The three companies added to China’s list of “unreliable companies’’ are Boeing Defence, Space & Security, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems. The sanctions are intended to penalise the U.S. for supplying weapons to Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory. According to the ministry, the sanctioned companies would be prohibited from making further investments in China and their managers would be banned from travelling.
In September 2023, China had already sanctioned the U.S. firms Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman for such arms sales. It added that five more companies followed in January. Relations between Washington and Beijing had been very tense for some time, as the U.S. also repeatedly placed Chinese companies on its sanctions list.