China sanctions 7 companies over US military assistance to Taiwan
BEIJING — In response, the Chinese government imposed sanctions on seven companies on Friday recent US announcements 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 the recent approval of the US government’s annual defense spending bill, which, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement, “contains several negative sections on China.”
China objects to U.S. military aid to Taiwan and often imposes sanctions on related companies after a sales or aid package is announced. The sanctions generally have a limited impact because U.S. defense companies do not sell weapons or other military goods to China. The US is the main supplier of weapons to Taiwan for its defense.
The seven companies subject to sanctions 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 “relevant senior managers” of the companies would also be sanctioned, without naming anyone.
Any assets they have in China will be frozen, and organizations and individuals in China will be banned from engaging in any activity with them, the report said.
U.S. President Joe Biden last week authorized up to $571 million in Defense Department materials and services and military education and training for Taiwan. Separately, the Defense Department announced that $295 million in military sales had been approved.
The US defense bill increases military spending to $895 billion and focuses resources on a more confrontational approach China. A fund is being created that could be used to send military resources to Taiwan, in much the same way the US has supported Ukraine. It also extends a ban on U.S. 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 US is fueling the “so-called” threat from China to justify higher military spending.
“US military spending has surpassed the world’s highest and continues to rise every year,” he said at a news conference. “This fully exposes the bellicose nature of the US and its obsession with hegemony and expansion.”
The State Department statement said the US measures violate the agreements between the two countries on Taiwan, interfere in China’s internal affairs and undermine the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Taiwanese government said earlier this month that China had done so sent dozens of ships to nearby seas to enforce a blockade of the island, a move that Taiwan said undermined peace and stability and disrupted international shipping and trade. China has not confirmed or commented on the reported military activity.