China slaps sanctions on 13 US military firms over Taiwan arms sale

BEIJING – China has decided to impose sanctions on 13 US military firms from Dec 5, in response to the sale of US arms to Taiwan, the Foreign Ministry said after the US arranged for Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te to transit through its territory.

The step follows China’s strong objection to the US authorising a potential US$385 million (S$517 million)

sale of spare parts and support for F-16 jets

and radars to Taiwan, which Beijing says undermines its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

China, which considers Taiwan its own territory and Mr Lai a dangerous separatist, opposes any foreign interactions or visits by the island’s leaders.

Companies targeted by the sanctions include Teledyne Brown Engineering, Brinc Drones and Shield AI, the Foreign Ministry said in a Dec 5 statement.

Other companies facing sanctions are Rapid Flight, Red Six Solutions, Synexxus, Firestorm Labs, Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems, HavocAI, Neros Technologies, Cyberlux Corporation, Domo Tactical Communications and Group W.

In addition, China will freeze the assets of six executives from five companies, including Raytheon, BAE Systems and United Technologies, in China, and bar their entry to the country. Chinese organisations and individuals are also prohibited from dealing with them. REUTERS