China has announced a new round of sanctions targeting 20 US defense companies, including a subsidiary of Boeing, in response to Washington’s latest arms sales to Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its sovereign territory.
Despite China’s objections, the United States remains Taiwan’s largest arms supplier. Earlier this month, Taipei confirmed that Washington had approved up to $11 billion in defense sales, marking one of the largest weapons packages for the island to date.
Beijing strongly criticized the decision and on Friday unveiled sanctions against several firms, including Boeing’s defense manufacturing unit in St. Louis and Northrop Grumman, among others. Many of the targeted companies have limited or no commercial exposure in China, and some have previously faced similar punitive measures.
Under the sanctions, Chinese entities are prohibited from conducting business with the affected firms, and any assets held within China will be frozen.
