Beijing said Monday that it will impose sanctions on American companies — including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Raytheon — that have been involved in selling weapons to Taiwan. Speaking at a press conference Monday, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian called on the United States to stop selling arms to the self-governed island and to cut military ties with the government in Taipei.
The sanctions are just the latest escalation in growing tensions between the United States and China over Taiwan. Even though the island has never been controlled by China's ruling Communist Party, Beijing insists it is an integral part of its territory and has threatened to use force if necessary to assert its control.
"We will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard national sovereignty and security interests," Zhao said. He reiterated that US arms sales to Taiwan "seriously violate" the one-China principle and harms China's security interests.
