BEIJING (Reuters) – China will impose sanctions on the chief executives of Boeing Defense and Raytheon over their involvement in Washington’s recent arms sales to Taiwan, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Friday.
The sanctions against Ted Colbert, managing director of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, and Gregory Hayes, boss of Raytheon Technologies Corp, follow the US State Department’s green light on September 2 for the sale of military equipment in Taiwan.
Beijing considers Taiwan as an integral part of its territory.
These sales relate to 60 anti-ship missiles and 100 air-to-air missiles, whose respective manufacturers are Boeing Defense, a division of Boeing, and Raytheon.
Ted Colbert and Gregory Hayes will be sanctioned “in order to protect China’s sovereignty and security interests”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said, citing “their involvement in these arms sales”.
Mao Ning did not give details on what the sanctions would entail or how they would be applied.
“The Chinese side once again urges the US government and relevant entities to […] cease selling arms to Taiwan and maintaining military contacts between the United States and Taiwan.”
China conducted its biggest military maneuvers around Taiwan last month following a visit by Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, who said she showed US support for the island.
(Report Eduardo Baptista; French version Diana Mandiá, edited by Sophie Louet)
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