BEIJING, China — China has announced new sanctions against 20 U.S. defense companies, including a subsidiary of Boeing, in response to Washington’s recent arms sales to Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory.
The United States has long been Taiwan’s largest arms supplier, despite China’s claims over the self-governing island and its refusal to rule out the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
Earlier this month, Taiwan said the U.S. had approved up to $11 billion in defense sales, marking one of the largest weapons packages ever proposed for the island.
China strongly criticized the deal and on Friday imposed sanctions on several companies, including Boeing’s defense manufacturing unit in St. Louis, aerospace firm Northrop Grumman, and other U.S. defense contractors.
Most of the sanctioned companies have limited or no business operations in China, and some have already faced previous sanctions from Beijing. Under the new measures, Chinese entities are prohibited from cooperating with these firms, and any assets they hold in China will be frozen.
China’s foreign ministry said the arms sales “violate the one-China principle” and “seriously undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Boeing and Northrop Grumman did not respond to requests for comment.
In addition, China sanctioned 10 industry executives, barring them from entering mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau.