For supplying arms to Taiwan
China puts three US defense companies on “blacklist”
May 20, 2024, 7:35 a.m
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The conflict between China and the USA is taking place on numerous “battlefields”. Beijing is now putting three US defense companies on a sanctions list. They apparently previously supplied Taiwan with weapons. The date for each step seems to have been deliberately chosen.
Parallel to the inauguration of the new Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, China announced sanctions against three US defense companies. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced that Boeing’s defense, space and security division, as well as General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems, were placed on an “unreliable companies” list. This is intended to punish them for supplying arms to the democratic island republic of Taiwan, which Beijing considers to be part of China. The companies are therefore prohibited from further investments in China and their managers are banned from traveling.
The measure is the latest in a series of sanctions that Beijing has recently imposed on US defense companies over arms sales to Taiwan. Last September, China put the US defense companies Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman on the sanctions list because of such arms sales. Five more companies followed in January. The USA also repeatedly puts Chinese companies on its sanctions list. Relations between Washington and Beijing have long been very tense.
The government of US President Joe Biden justifies arms deliveries to Taiwan with increasing pressure from China on the island republic, for example with an increased military presence in the air and at sea. China sees the democratically ruled island as part of the People’s Republic and has threatened to invade several times. Taiwan, on the other hand, sees itself as independent – and the new President Lai Ching-te has not yet shown any desire to shake this self-image.