Beijing slaps sanctions on 2 US defense weapons manufacturer over arms sales to Chinese Taipei
China has announced sanctions against two major US arms manufacturers, namely, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, for supplying weapons to Chinese Taipei.
"Despite China's firm opposition, the US government is determined to provide weapons to Taiwan... seriously harming China's sovereignty and security interests, and going further and further on the wrong and dangerous road of arming Taiwan," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular press briefing Friday.
The Chinese official said that Lockheed Martin was the prime contractor in US arms sales to Taiwan that took place on August 24 and that Northrop Grumman had taken part in sales of weapons to Taipei "many times".
"According to the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law of the PRC [People's Republic of China], China has decided to impose sanctions on the above two US military companies," Ning said.
Till recently, the United States had sold $19 billion worth of weapons, munitions, and military equipment to Taipei, but most of that remains undelivered due to the two sides' failure to reach an agreement on the payment terms.
"We have an obligation to make sure that we fill the backlog of foreign military sales that exist now between our countries," US Congressman Rob Wittman said earlier this month heading a congressional delegation visiting Chinese Taipei.
During the visit, the US congressional delegation met with the wayward island’s secessionist leaders.
The move was seen by Beijing as Washington's latest provocation in a long list of US provocations, enraging China.
Taiwan is a self-ruled island and President Tsai Ing-wen has been pushing to make its military more mobile and harder to attack, seeking to turn the island into what US officials described as a "porcupine".
China recognizes Taipei as a sovereign part of the country, emphasizing the internationally recognized "one China" principle.
In the meantime, US provocations have met with China's response in recent years, including Chinese fighter jets and navy ships holding military drills around the island, sometimes getting close and encircling it.
China has repeatedly proposed peaceful means for Taipei's reunification, warning that Beijing was ready to use force to reunite the island with the mainland if necessary.
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