BEIJING — The Chinese government imposed sanctions on seven companies on Friday in response Recent American statements Of military sales and aid to Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory.
The sanctions also come in response Last approval Of the US government’s annual defense spending bill, which a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said “includes multiple negative sections on China.”
China objects to US military aid to Taiwan and often imposes sanctions on relevant companies after announcing a sale or aid package. Sanctions generally have limited impact, because American defense companies do not sell weapons or other military goods to China. The United States is the main supplier of weapons to Taiwan for its defense.
The seven sanctioned companies are Insitu Inc., Hudson Technologies Co., Saronic Technologies, Inc., Raytheon Canada, Raytheon Australia, Aerkomm Inc. and Oceaneering International Inc., the State Department statement said. It said that “relevant senior executives” at the companies had also been sanctioned, without naming any of them.
She added that any assets they have in China will be frozen, and organizations and individuals in China are prohibited from engaging in any activity with them.
US President Joe Biden last week approved up to $571 million in Department of Defense materials and services for Taiwan. Separately, the Department of Defense announced that $295 million in military sales had been approved.
The US defense bill boosts military spending to $895 billion and directs resources toward a more confrontational approach China. It creates a fund that can be used to send military resources to Taiwan in the same way the United States has supported Ukraine. It also expands the ban on US military purchases of Chinese products ranging from drone technology to garlic for military commissars.
Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesman for China’s Defense Ministry, said earlier this week that the United States was exaggerating the “alleged” threat from China to justify increased military spending.
“American military spending leads the world and is increasing every year,” he said in a press conference. He added: “This fully exposes the aggressive nature of the United States and its obsession with hegemony and expansion.”
The Foreign Ministry statement said that the US moves violate the agreements concluded between the two countries regarding Taiwan, interfere in China’s internal affairs and undermine the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Taiwan’s government said earlier this month that China had done so Sent dozens of ships Taiwan entered the nearby seas to impose a blockade on the island, a move that Taiwan said undermined peace and stability and disrupted international shipping and trade. China did not confirm or comment on the aforementioned military activity.
