China’s Ministry of Commerce has placed American companies Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Missiles & Defense on the list of unreliable companies due to the supply of weapons to Taiwan. This follows from a statement published on site departments on Thursday, February 16.
The decision was made in order to protect national sovereignty, security and development interests due to the sale of weapons by these enterprises to Taiwan.
According to the decree, companies are prohibited from importing and exporting with China, as well as from investing in China.
In particular, the leadership of Lockheed Martin and Raytheon is prohibited from entering China. It is noted that residence and work permits for top executives of companies staying in China are cancelled.
In addition, fines are imposed on companies, the amount of which is twice the amount of each company’s contract for the sale of weapons to Taiwan. They must be paid within 15 days from the date of publication of the document. Otherwise, additional fines and other measures taken will follow.
Earlier, on Jan. 29, columnist Yuan Xiaocun warned that a potential clash with China would cost the United States dearly. He stressed that the injection of confrontational rhetoric only provokes the authorities and the population of the PRC to fight back.
Prior to this, on December 30, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Tan Kefei warned of the risks associated with US plans to send Volcano anti-tank systems to the Taiwan Self-Defense Forces.
On Dec. 28, Politico noted that Washington was late in scaling up resources to defend Taiwan. The material says that the Chinese side has a large enough navy, as well as aircraft and ballistic missiles, to challenge US dominance in the waters of the Indo-Pacific region.
On October 20, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced his readiness to support Taipei in the event of aggression from Beijing. He added that the American side is committed to doing everything possible to ensure that Taiwan is able to effectively defend itself.
The aggravation of relations between China, Taiwan and the United States occurred in August 2022 after an unauthorized visit by Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi to the island. The politician called her trip evidence of Washington’s commitment to supporting Taiwanese democracy. Beijing urged to refrain from this step. Later, the Chinese authorities reported serious problems in relations with the United States.
Official relations between the Chinese government and its island province were interrupted in 1949, when the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek, who lost in a civil war with the Communist Party of the People’s Republic of China, moved to Taiwan. Contacts between the island and mainland China resumed in the late 1980s.
